In 2012, the Hong Kong International Film Festival invited Tsai Ming-Ling to make the opening short film. Having grown up with Hong Kong's popular culture, Tsai Ming-Liang decided to pay homage by making a "Walker" film, contrasting the Walker's slowness with the frenzied pace of Hong Kong's cosmopolitan life. The film ends with a song by Hong Kong actor and singer Samuel Hui, who was Tsai Ming-Liang's idol during his youth. The film was invited to be the closing short film for the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.
Direction
Tsai turns a walk into existential theater.
Cinematography
Hong Kong's chaos framed as spiritual obstacle course.
Costume
The monk's robes are the ultimate slow-fashion statement.
Director
Tsai Ming-liang
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Samuel Hui was the king of 1970s Cantopop, and Tsai grew up worshipping him—this is basically a 26-minute fan letter disguised as art cinema.
Tsai shot this during actual HKIFF events, so confused festival-goers literally walked past their own opening film being made.
HK
TW
