ARTNEWSPRESS: “Suk Suk,” a gay drama which is in contention for the best film prize at Saturday’s Golden Horse Awards, has succeeded in lining up theatrical distributors in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
For Taiwan, it was acquired by distributor Cai Chang International. In Hong Kong, it has been picked up by Golden Scene. The deals were handled by international sales agent Films Boutique.
Directed by Hong Kong’s Ray Yeung, the film focuses on two elderly men, who have lived all their lives never revealing their sexual identities. When they meet by chance in the streets of Hong Kong they fall in love and dare to contemplate a possible future together. Topics covered by the film include societal conformity, religion, and identities that have been suppressed for the good of the family.
The film had its world premiere last month in the Busan film festival. It is now nominated in five categories at the Golden Horse Awards: best feature; best original screenplay; best actor (for the two leads Tai Bo and Ben Yuen); and best supporting actress (for Patra Ga Man Au).
“Suk Suk” is one of only a handful of Hong Kong-made films to participate in this year’s Golden Horse Awards, although the awards have previously been considered as the year’s top prizes for Chinese-language cinema. Following a pro-independence speech last year by a Taiwanese prize-winner, mainland Chinese authorities have ordered a boycott of the 2019 edition.
Fearing consequences for their careers in the mainland, many Hong Kong films and filmmakers followed that lead and withdrew themselves from contention at the Golden Horse Awards. Yeung’s LGBT films are unlikely to ever make it past mainland China censors.
“Distributors, Cai Chang in Taiwan, and Golden Scene in Hong Kong are two of the most important mainstream-arthouse companies in their respective territories, and it bodes well for the global future of this very special LGBTQ film,” said the “Suk Suk” producers in a statement.
“We are very excited to take on ‘Suk Suk,’ a beautiful love story that is told on the canvas of working-class Hong Kong. This film celebrates love in a way that is very rarely seen in Hong Kong cinema, and we can’t wait for the audiences of Hong Kong to see this film,” said Golden Scene’s Felix Tsang.
variety.com
PATRICK FRATER
