HONG KONG STARS HAVE "NO TIME FOR FOREIGN PRESS" (FILMART 2012)

The meaning of “ FILMART” is “ Hong Kong International Film & TV Market”. It is supposed to be an international event, not a local one. Yet many of the interesting events announced in the overseas press media program are useless for a journalist who does not speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

Two days ago (on March 20th, 2012), a press conference was held for " The Bullet Vanishes". Stars Lau Ching-wan, Nicolas Tseand Liu Ka-chi, producer Derek Yee and director Law Chi-Leung were there to present the trailer to the press. To the local press I should say, since the entire conference was conducted in Chinese with no translation.

The lady host with Law Chi-leung, Lau Ching-wan, Nicolas Tse, Liu Ka-chi and Derek Yee, presenting "The Bullet Vanishes". Lau Ching-wan, Nicolas Tse & Liu Ka-chi posing for the photographers.The only way for a journalist to gain any clue about “ The Bullet Vanishes” was the one-minute trailer that was screened during this 2 ½ hour press conference. Chinese and local journalists were free to interview the above named people. When I asked the interview arrangement staff if I might talk to Lau Ching-wan or another actor, they made me wait until finally telling me that they had no time, even though they clearly had not asked any actor.

Nicolas Tse interviewed by the local press. All I could do was take photos, watch a one minute trailer (“ The Bullet Vanishes” is apparently a mystery action thriller in the vein of " Sherlock Holmes"), and record some Chinese answers by Lau Chi-wanwhen I crashed another journalist’s interview.

Lau Ching-wan interviewed by the local press. The day before, Corey Yuen’s press conference for his new movie " Wu Dang" also had no English translation and no interviews available for foreign press.

It seems this might be the case from now on for every Chinese or Hong Kong movie press conference presented at FILMART.

Lau Ching-wan and Lau Chi-leung interviewed by the Chinese medias. Would it kill their budget to hire just one translator to spend 10 or 15 minutes explaining to the foreign press what the movie is about? We’d like to have a bit of material to write about.

Lau Ching-wan is thinking about something. If the FILMART press conferences are only for local press, why can't they hold those conferences somewhere other than FILMART, which is supposed to be an international event?