Multitalented filmmaker with an attitude

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Singapore

Hong Kong director Kenneth Bi laughed at the remarks from the speakers at a discussion during the recent Asia Film Market & Conference here.

The speakers, filmmakers from China and Singapore, concluded that there should no longer be such a thing as Asian films. As the world market is still pretty much ruled by the United States, Asian filmmakers should produce movies to satisfy that market.

"That's bulls--t," he laughed, before striking a more serious note.

"When French people buy an Asian film, they want to see Asian people using an Asian language, in Asian costumes in an Asian environment. That's the success of Crouching Tiger. Great art always come from the roots of a country. Even great commercial films have that."

Despite his disapproval, however, Bi opted to remain quiet during the discussion.

"I don't need to make enemies. That's just what I think. You know, in Chinese society you don't say what you think. Besides, what good does it do? Because I'm nobody. If you're somebody, people will start to think," he said.

Bi, 35, however, is not really nobody.

With almost 10 years experience in the Hong Kong film industry, he was named one of Asia's pioneers of digital video (DV) movies with his 2000 debut feature film, A Small Miracle. This led to his being invited here as a speaker at the conference to discuss the future of digital movies in Asia.

Even if he is still nobody to many people, hopefully, and chances are, he will become somebody. Because as a filmmaker, he has the intellectuality, the right concept and attitude, and the wide knowledge that makes him a fascinating person to talk to.

And he has the talent, not just as a director but in many aspects of filmmaking.

Graduating with honors in theater studies from Brock University in Canada, he has played various roles in numerous theater and film productions in Canada and Hong Kong, often writing, directing and even acting.

Bi is a strong supporter of the notion that filmmaking is both an art and a craft, and thus he worked toward learning as much as he could about the technical aspects of filmmaking.

"As much as film can be an intellectual and artistic expression, it is basically a technical medium, beginning with the camera, all the way to the post-production and film printing. Having knowledge of these aspects frees me to focus on more truly artistic and expressive choices," said Bi, both of whose parents were film actors.

His first foray into the film industry was Hong Kong Graffiti, a 1995 film by director Teddy Robin who enlisted Bi as actor, writer and editor.

In 1998, Bi line-produced Slow Fade for first-time director Daniel Chan and facilitated the film's entry into the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.

Bi worked for Malaysian entertainment company, HVD, as a cocreator and writer of two television drama series, This Life and Teacher.

He was also art director and director for numerous music videos, including for Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Sharon Cuneta of the Philippines and American composer Jim Brickman.

Until a desperate need to produce his own feature film emerged, but he found himself hampered by budgetary and resource constraints.

"The Hong Kong film industry is not like the way it was. It's either very high or very low in terms of cost production. It's not as healthy as in the '80s and early '90s. Thus young filmmakers don't have the opportunity of learning the craft of filmmaking and experimenting," he said.

With his production company Kenbiroli Films, he turned to DV and produced A Small Miracle with a budget of only US$10,000, which came from his own pocket. As a comparison, Eliana Eliana by Indonesian director Riri Riza was also shot on DV, but with a budget almost eight times higher.

"I had very limited resources in making the film. Everything was done on a small scale: small camera, small two-man crew and small budget. Most of the actors were amateurs and worked for free. But I was more optimistic than ever," said Bi, who wrote the script and the film score, directed and edited the movie.

Despite some flaws, understandable given all the obstacles, the film is honest and lighthearted, and the editing is especially impressive.

The film tells the story of an oppressed accountant who receives a parcel full of ecstasy pills from an unknown source. It is an existential examination of an ordinary man who finds out what he's capable of when put into extraordinary circumstances, and comes to like himself for it.

"The idea was something simple and true. There's a famous novel in Chinese literature about the bald-headed guy in the beginning of the century who thinks about everything in the good side. I wanted to make my character like that," he said.

Hailed as Hong Kong's first digital video feature film, the film went on to enjoy a tour of film festivals including in Tokyo, New Delhi, Toronto, South Korea, France and Russia.

Though never released commercially, the tour allowed Bi to secure funding for his next project, which is now in pre- production.

The project is called Hainan Chicken Rice, a heartwarming and humorous story about a mother and three sons set in Singapore. The screenplay has already won awards from the Taiwan Government Information Office and the Pusan Promotion Plan at the Pusan International Film Festival.

"I want to make a film with which audiences will be able to emphasize, to paint an ordinary world populated by ordinary people," he said about the sophomore effort.

"Why Singapore? I see it as a very interesting place because it's the only place in Southeast Asia that has order. There is a lot of charm there. A lot of charming chaos and charming structure of life."

Bi has a passion for creating quality original content, which he said was the secret for Asian films to succeed.

"Asian films have a lot more variety. However, their only asset in the world economy is action. Or musicals for Indian movies. People in the world see it (Asian films) as a novelty, something different from a different culture. It's sad in a way, but at least there's something that people in the world like."

Asian filmmakers, he added, have to strengthen their all- around education.

Technical skill is important as true inspiration comes from technique, and true creativity is from knowing the right technique. But filmmakers, he said, have to have well-rounded educations.

"Because the world is so diverse and so interesting. Most filmmakers are living in their own world and calling their works art. Whereas, when people call your stuff art then it's art, even if it's not," he said.

Bi believes that at their best, art and commerce are the same thing.

"Only when a piece of work has artistic merit will it be commercially successful because art should speak to the people. Art is not about alienating the audience but about uniting them to witness and celebrate the human spirit."

IQs all over the world are going down, he said, so it is filmmakers who must lead the audience and inspire them.

"The greatest art uses one thing that leads you to the next," he said.