The movie "The Band of Seven" Xu Anhua was selected in the 1960s.

She finally handed over a special "Xu Anhua" short film "Principal".

There is a very classical and subtle emotion flowing between the principal played by Wu Zhenyu and the English teacher played by Masai.

That simplicity and quietness are exactly what Xu Anhua remembers about Hong Kong at that time.

　　Xu Anhua in the short film looks nostalgic, but in an interview with a reporter from the Yangcheng Evening News, when she talks about movies, she strongly advocates looking forward: she does not miss the film era, let alone the so-called "Golden Age of Hong Kong Films".

She said: "There is no need to keep referring to the past era. New directors have new worlds and should have new goals."

　Hong Kong in the 1960s was a modest city

　　After being selected in the 1960s, Xu Anhua's first reaction was "very happy": "If I don't let me choose by myself, I will choose this era; if other directors want to exchange with me, I will refuse."

　　Xu Anhua spent adolescence in this era, and youth is always the most unforgettable.

In her memory, Hong Kong was a simple city: "I walked to and from school. As soon as I walked through North Point, there were sea and boats and no buildings. There were many bus drivers eating bread there in the morning. At that time Hong Kong is generally relatively empty, and the sea can be seen in many places, but it was completely filled later.”

　　Her girlhood was as simple and quiet as the city.

"One year, I had to do retreat exercises, I stayed by myself for two or three days, and I was not allowed to speak. Now I think about it, it's the meditation that is highly respected by people at the moment. At that time, the feeling of life was very single and profound. It was very hot in summer, wearing school uniforms in The playground is jumping up and down. It’s not like now, you have to deal with all eras, all kinds of cultures, and you have to deal with the chaos of the Internet. Now that I think about it, that kind of quiet is necessary, and it is necessary to do things you don’t like.”

　　At school, Xu Anhua met several teachers who had a profound influence on her: "I remember a female teacher who always scold me at that time, but she was also my enlightener of English literature. She was very trendy at the time. When she taught Shakespeare, Because words were boring, she would perform, and we were quite surprised at the time. She made me understand that literature and art actually come from life.”

　　"The Principal" was originally a feature film, but was shelved because it was difficult to find funding, and "The Band of Seven" brought the script to life.

Xu Anhua said: "Filming the 1960s is a bit like shooting a costume movie, everything has to be reset, and it is difficult to find investment. It happened to be the film "Seven", I compressed the previous script into about ten minutes and handed it over to me. Du Sir (Johnnie To) company, the producer thought there was no problem and I shot it. When I used this story as a feature film before, I also felt that the middle space was too empty, and it was basically silent for 20 years. There was no conflict, and the audience couldn't stand it. So now it is ten years old. A few minutes is more appropriate.”

　Prefer shooting digitally, changing film is a distraction

　　With seven directors filming together, Xu Anhua doesn't need to consider the issue of cost and benefit, which reassures her.

"As long as I finish the film well, I don't have to worry about other things. At least as a director, I have always experienced the pressure of public opinion and box office revenue after filming, which will make you look forward to the future. I was very comfortable when I was there, and I am very grateful to have this opportunity to make such a film.”

　　Although "The Band of Seven" is a film that pays homage to the film era, Xu Anhua said frankly: "Many directors miss the quality of film, but I don't." She also enjoys the convenience of digital shooting, "I'm not even used to it. Halfway through the shoot, the assistant director yelled, 'Director, there's no film left'. It's cheap and expensive, and it distracts me while shooting. Digital and film are different creative minds, and I still prefer digital."

　　In addition to completing the directorial work of "Principal", Xu Anhua also appeared in Tsui Hark's unit "Deep Dialogue".

And there is a twisted story behind this: "In 2018, the executive producer of "The Band of Seven" suddenly told me: On December 16, you have to go back to Hong Kong for one day, and director Tsui Hark's play is looking for you to make a cameo for one day. The schedule is set, don't miss the appointment. I said yes. At the beginning of December 2018, I received an advertisement, shot in the northeast, and I went to the northeast to see the scene. If I go back to Hong Kong, I need to take a plane from Harbin to Beijing. It took a whole day to fly to Hong Kong. I went to shoot his movie early the next morning. I didn't tell Tsui Hark about this tossing process. After the shooting, I spent another day returning to the Northeast to shoot commercials. I just feel like I'm great."

　　Regarding the next work plan, Xu Anhua said frankly that he hopes to continue working after a break.

"I hope to rest for a year and a half for the time being. It is very difficult to find a suitable subject, especially since I am very unfamiliar with the world of young people. I don't think I need to shoot most of the subjects. It’s really not easy to shoot a subject that the audience can like.”

　New directors have new worlds, new goals, new benchmarks

　　Hui Anhua and Tsui Hark are both leaders of the new wave of Hong Kong cinema.

At that time, a group of new blood joined the film industry, giving a new lease of life to Hong Kong films confined to the studio system.

Many people say that the New Wave has a profound impact on Hong Kong movies, but Xu Anhua, who has experienced it personally, is reluctant to deliberately summarize and summarize the times.

"We have been experiencing such a big issue of the times, and it is often difficult to see the so-called historical status or evaluation. I prefer to experience and experience it in a play. The work you like is the most important thing. There will be historical trends, but it has nothing to do with the basic experience of people like us who are creative, and it is difficult for me to evaluate.”

　　Today's Hong Kong films are also undergoing a change after a period of inconsistency. Some people describe this as a "new new wave".

In Xu Anhua's view, there is no need to always mention the past. "New directors have a new world, so why do they have to look back to the 1970s and 1980s? They should have new goals and benchmarks."

　　She values ​​communication more than inheritance, and puts young filmmakers on an equal footing to talk to them: "I hope the new generation of filmmakers can give me some opportunities to learn from them. This is not a joke, I think everyone can discuss it. Our respective problems, don't always let us "old ghosts" teach others and lead others. Movies don't have such a thing. The younger generation is much more difficult than we were at the time. They have many new ideas and ways of looking at things. It’s what we need to know and learn.”

　　Affected by various factors, today's film market is quite sluggish.

Xu Anhua has made movies for decades. She believes that movies are about chance. "Movies are not a necessity, but a luxury. It is not about a person's life and property like education or medical care. If you are interested, if you find it fun, just do it. If you think of it as a great mission, you have to do everything you can to do it, which is not good. Because you are so nervous and even feel that you are too important. I think if it is out of interest, you can enjoy it. Even if it costs a lot With time in this matter, I can also feel the joy of filming and make good movies.”

　　Reporter Hu Guangxin