“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” Goes to Cannes

Grossing over HK$5 million at the box office since it opened during the Labor Day golden weekend, HK crime action thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In <九龍城寨之圍城> has already booked a spot as one of the most popular local films for the year.

To thank viewers, a special meet-and-greet session was recently held, allowing the public to interact with cast and crew including producers John Chong (莊澄) and Wilson Yip (葉偉信), filmmaker Soi Cheang (鄭保瑞), Louis Koo (古天樂), Richie Jen (任賢齊), Raymond Lam (林峯), Terrence Lau (劉俊謙), Philip Ng (伍允龍), Tony Wu (胡子彤), German Cheung (張文傑), Jozev Kiu (喬靖夫), Deon Cheung (張松枝) and child star Hedy (王尹菁), the youngest of the cast.

Cannes Midnight Screening; First Cannes Outing for Raymond

Thanking everyone, Louis revealed that he will be flying to Cannes to promote the film along with Raymond, Terrence, Tony and German as well as the director and producer, and that its European premiere will also be held on the same evening! “It’s been 10 years since a HK film got nominated for Cannes, so I’m really looking forward,” he said. Recalling the last time he was at Cannes for 2005 film Election <黑社會> which he starred in, Louis enthused, “It’s been over 10 years since I was at Cannes, I really want to see what’s changed,” Raymond chimed in, “I haven’t been there! Of course I’m excited, of all the movies I’ve taken part in, this is the first that has made it to Cannes!”

As it was rumored that actor Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) had also been considered as a casting choice for Raymond’s character Chan Lok-kwun, Louis was asked if Nicholas would be cast in the movie’s prequel, to which he replied that it would depend on the box office performance, adding that it’s more important to support HK films.

On actor Philip Ng accidentally taking a fall during the sessions due to the public’s overenthusiasm, Louis said, “Wong Gau’s (Philip) character is too popular, I think he has to watch out when he goes on the streets!” Expressing shock, Raymond said the actors had intended to interact more with the audience, while some in the crowd might have got too carried away.

Louis Looks to Preserve the Filming Set 

As the fictional Kowloon Walled City was a topic of interest during post-premier discussions, Louis Koo said, “We’ve rented the location of the set, but it’s occurred to me during these 2 years to preserve the set possibly as a tourist site of attraction, to give everyone a glimpse of how Hong Kong used to look like,” Louis added that if the movie performs well, and they build another set for a sequel, he might seriously consider getting permission from the authorities to preserve the set for sightseeing purposes.

Sharing on the new scriptwriting mentorship program which he helped to kickstart, Louis said that the program has been well-received, as up-and-coming scriptwriters are able to benefit tremendously by learning directly and witnessing the processes and protocols in the art of filmmaking. “I really hope this can be sustained, with a new crop of new scriptwriters, as I feel it’s most important to hear the views of the new generation,”

10-year-old Hedy, who was only 7 when the film was made, appeared with heart-shaped balloons to thank the crowd. Asked to name the most handsome big “kor-kor” (brother), the child star blushingly smiled and did not answer. “Everyone took really good care of me, especially Raymond kor-kor. He will chat and play with me,” Asked about her filmmaking experience, Hedy smiled, “It’s the first time I get to see so many stars! I’m so happy!”

Despite having to witness her onscreen mother’s demised look in the film, Hedy said it was “not too scary”, as the director had given her caring pointers along the way. On having to bear with the smell of cigarette smoke on set, Hedy described it as rather tough as she was not used to the smell and would avoid the entire street. In behind-the-scenes’ footage, Louis Koo, who plays “Tornado” was spotted putting his cigarette aside in a thoughtful move. “I thought he was so sweet, such a good person!” Now in primary four, Hedy reveals that she has taken on drama and film projects which she will balance alongside academic commitments.

Source: HK01