Veteran Hong Kong director Johnnie To has been appointed head of the Asian Competition jury for the fourth edition of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV).
Widely credited with redefining Hong Kong’s crime cinema, the director brings more than 40 years of filmmaking experience to the annual event.
To’s previous jury roles at major international festivals include the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival.
This experience is expected to add greater professional expertise and international insight to DANAFF IV.
Held under the theme ‘Bridging Asia to the World’, DANAFF IV will take place from June 28 to July 4 and is accepting entries from filmmakers across Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region.
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Combining marketability and creativity
In 1996, amid a downturn in Hong Kong’s film industry caused by falling box office revenues, To co-founded production company Milkyway Image.
The studio later became known for its precise storytelling, minimalist style, and highly choreographed action sequences.
Through Milkyway Image, he developed a filmmaking approach that combined commercial appeal with artistic expression.
To has long maintained that while financial success is vital for a studio’s survival, directors must also retain their creative identity, as reported by Vietnam News.
Elevating Hong Kong action movies
Among To’s early breakthroughs was “All About Ah-Long,” starring Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang.
The emotional drama became one of Hong Kong’s top-grossing films in 1989 and earned him a best director nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
By the late 1990s, To’s film “The Mission,” featuring Francis Ng, Anthony Wong, and Simon Yam had changed the language of Hong Kong action movies.
His reputation as a filmmaker who is profoundly interested in power dynamics and political symbolism was further solidified with his internationally acclaimed gangster saga “Election” and “Election 2.”
The movies, featuring actors Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo, and Nick Cheung, were chosen to compete at Cannes and brought To’s work to a larger global audience.
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