Photography The truth stays in the picture
Hong Kong cinema’s golden age of the 1980s and ’90s was also the tail end of the film-camera era, a time when photographers never knew exactly what they’d shot until their pictures were developed. With no nosy requests to see photos just taken of a director or actor, still photographers — creators of images used primarily in the marketing and publicity of feature films — were free to do their work relatively unimpeded, having been admitted into the inner sanctum of a movie set.
Lo Yuk-ying’s 34 images memorializing the era stood out among the film stills and on-set photographs on display at Off-sets: Photographies of Hong Kong Cinema, the main exhibition of this year’s Hong Kong International Photo Festival (HKIPF), which concluded Nov 27 at Shek Kip Mei’s Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre. The ballsy, self-taught photographer would pick her moment to swoop in with her wide-angle lens and capture an actor with their guard down. For instance, she managed to snap Kwan Tak-hing — whose wide-eyed look while playing Guangdong martial arts master Wong Fei-hung was practically iconic — with his eyes closed during a brief rest break.
“I consider myself a cold-blooded hunter,” wrote the photographer in the exhibition guide. “Hidden in the shadows. One shot, one kill.”
Man Lim-chung, a co-curator of the exhibition, was among the three image-makers featured in a section dedicated to movies by the legendary auteur Wong Kar-wai. Candid stills by Man, shot in between filming a deleted scene from In the Mood for Love (2000), came to life on large silkscreens hanging from the ceiling. A cheeky snap of Maggie Cheung — by Christopher Doyle, Wong’s longtime cinematographer — showed the star, bug-eyed and looking out of the window of a red car, a Polaroid of herself in the same car window held between her teeth. Such shots provide a fascinating glimpse into the moviemaking process — in this case, the use of Polaroids for continuity.
The exhibition showcased works by 10 other photographers besides Lo and Man, several with filmmaking experience in the roles of art director, production designer or costume designer. Spanning five decades of moviemaking in Hong Kong, the show also provided a platform for young, up-and-coming still photographers.
Launched 12 years ago, the HKIPF is organized by the Hong Kong Photographic Culture Association, a body whose stated aim is “to foster the art and culture of photography”, while engaging the local community. A Weekend Market in early November saw 18 local and four overseas organizations participate, while from late October to November, sharing sessions, discussions and workshops were held on topics ranging from zine creation to “image deconstruction and (re)interpretation” to filmmaking.
In 2018, the festival expanded to include satellite exhibitions across the city. Six local image makers took part in 2022, displaying their works at diverse venues including an art space in Sheung Wan, a 46-square-foot (4.3-square-meter) shop in Causeway Bay, a dilapidated mall in North Point, and bookstores in Sai Kung and Yau Ma Tei. A showcase of Justin Hui’s exploration of demolished villages in the northeastern New Territories, and the juxtaposition of natural and urban scenery near the mainland boundary, is on at the last venue, rounding out this year’s festival.