‘Kowloon Walled City’ Team Awarded 4.85 Million Funding, Aaron Kwok Teases Another Showdown with Louis Koo

Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, and Aaron Kwok (Kwok) starred in the movie "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" which won both critical acclaim and box office success last year. The film’s producer Wilson Yip and director Soi Cheang will collaborate again on a new project, having received HKD 9 million (about MYR 4.85 million) in funding from the Hong Kong Film Development Fund. However, another film, "Lingnan Kungfu Youth," which marks Clifton Ko’s return to directing after seven years, was granted HKD 10 million (about MYR 5.39 million) in funding, outpacing the "Walled City" dream team and causing much surprise!

The Hong Kong film industry is in a slump, with few movies starting production in the first half of this year. Filmmakers have to find ways to raise funds if they want to shoot, one such way being the submission of project proposals to apply for subsidies from the Hong Kong Film Development Council. Both producer Wilson Yip and director Soi Cheang of "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" submitted applications—they will be making a new film called "Not Human", which was approved for HKD 9 million last October.

Soi Cheang, who has multiple film projects on hand, was asked about when filming for "Not Human" would begin. He said, "Everything is being arranged." He admitted that he greatly enjoyed working with Louis Koo and Aaron Kwok, adding that because both actors love to take on different roles, there is a chance the two would collaborate again in "Not Human".

Additionally, apart from Soi Cheang’s new film receiving funding, director Clifton Ko also applied for funding; his "Lingnan Kungfu Youth" ultimately received approval for HKD 10 million, more than Cheang’s new film. It turns out that the Hong Kong Film Development Council recently launched the “Promoting Chinese Culture Film Production Funding Scheme,” aimed at encouraging Hong Kong directors to integrate Chinese cultural elements into their works and showcase outstanding Chinese traditions to audiences. Clifton Ko’s script met these requirements, earning him the highest grant amount under this program. Another film that also received the maximum HKD 10 million grant under this plan is "Ten Medical Students" directed by Mabel Cheung.

In a recent interview, Clifton Ko revealed that "Lingnan" has a budget of around HKD 28 million (about MYR 15.1 million). The film has already begun shooting in Foshan and managed to invite kungfu superstar Sammo Hung as its leading actor. The production will also seek young male and female actors from the Lingnan region. This new film focuses on promoting Lingnan culture and martial arts heritage. Ko also mentioned that the film will participate in various film festivals, expressing much confidence in the project.