Hong Kong actress Jennifer Yu, who clinched the "Best Actress" award at last year's Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in "In Broad Daylight," was recently invited to Malaysia to serve as a final judge for the 8th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) and the "Golden Globe Awards." Having filmed in Malaysia previously, she expressed her hope to return for future projects, joking that she’s well aware of the vibrant local Lunar New Year film market, and candidly put out a call to Malaysian directors: "I hope I get the chance to film a New Year movie!"
In a group interview with Malaysian media, Jennifer Yu noted that although she had previously served as a judge for the Hong Kong Film Awards, this was her first experience as one of the five final decision-makers at MIFFest, a responsibility she described as daunting. “The Hong Kong Film Awards’ system involves an initial round of voting by eligible industry members, followed by decisions from a panel of professional judges. This time, however, it’s just the five of us who decide the grand prize winner, so we have to be extra careful and cautious.” She revealed that to ensure fairness in the judging process, she watched every nominated film attentively and wrote comments for each one. “Many were foreign-language films with topics I hadn’t encountered before, so I had to fully focus to understand, absorb, and then decide which movie to vote for. The standard was very high across the board, and choosing was genuinely tough.”
She also expressed gratitude for the eye-opening experience as a judge. “Films from different countries explore diverse themes, acting styles, perspectives, and cultural viewpoints. Coupled with exchanges with other judges, the experience gave me many new insights and inspired me to pursue more movies about ‘people’ and ‘local culture’ in the future.”
When asked by the media about her infrequent on-screen appearances since winning Best Actress, Yu laughed and replied: “Is it really that much less? Actually, those projects just haven’t been released yet!” She admitted that the Hong Kong film industry was indeed going through a downturn, with greater challenges for the new generation of filmmakers: “There are fewer productions, which means fewer opportunities.” She added that she's now more selective when taking on projects: “There are many things to consider, firstly family time, and secondly, I hope to work with dedicated and sincere teams.”
She revealed that she has always been open to new directions, and last year went to Taiwan to shoot a film—her reunion project in eight years with director and actress Yeo Siew Hui (from "Sisterhood")—which is set for release soon. “Opportunities may be scarce, but I’m grateful every time I work with a good team and a good role.”
As a mother of two, she was asked if becoming a mom has changed the roles she chooses. She laughed: “Not really, but lately, the roles coming my way are mostly ‘mother’ characters—fewer romance stories.” She expressed her hope that audiences could see more sides of her: “I’ve always wanted to try playing villains or mad characters, but maybe because of my looks, people keep casting me in upright, righteous roles.” Beyond film and television, Yu also said she's interested in trying stage productions and hopes to act in works of different languages in the future. “No matter the platform, language, or subject matter, all of it is nourishment for an actor. I really want to try acting in a non-native language—even though it’s hard, it would be a growth opportunity for me.”
Asked whether she'd like to act in a Malaysian movie, Yu unhesitatingly responded: “Of course I do!” She recalled filming the Hong Kong-Malaysia-Singapore co-produced horror-suspense film “Somewhere Only We Know” in Malaysia 6–7 years ago with much fondness: “The crew was amazing, and we even had durian on set!” She said she looked forward to working with local actors, and has particularly noticed the lively Lunar New Year movie scene in Malaysia. “I loved watching New Year films as a kid, but never had the chance to act in one.” She then called out again to Malaysian directors: “I hope I get the chance to do it!”