Bamboo Theatre
2019, Cantonese, 76mins, DCP, Colour
Rather than using permanent stages, many Cantonese opera shows in Hong Kong are performed on a roadshow basis. During major traditional holidays, opera troupes travel to various remote neighbourhoods in the city and perform on temporary stages built out of bamboo scaffoldings. After following the lives of young male Cantonese opera performers in My Way, director Cheuk Cheung’s latest documentary – inspired by the observational documentaries of Frederick Wiseman – offers a quiet, but insightful document of this longtime local tradition, tracing an entire bamboo theatre tour from the complex construction process all the way to the theatre’s dismantlement. Even as Cantonese opera continues to wane in public support, the film shows the hard work that these troupes put in to continue sharing their art with the masses.
Festivals & Awards
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards: Film of Merit
Hong Kong Film Awards: Nominee for Best New Director
Taipei Golden Horse Award: Nominee for Best Documentary
Hong Kong International Film Festival
Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival
Director's Biography
Cheuk Cheung graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He directed two documentaries, namely My Way (2012) on Cantonese opera and My Next Step (2015) on Kunqu opera. My Way earned him an Award for Young Artist (Film) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and a nomination for Best New Director at the Chinese Film Media Awards. In 2018, he co-directed a multidisciplinary documentary opera, Songs of Portraits, with music artist Steve Hui. Bamboo Theatre is his latest documentary feature. |
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Credits
| Director | Cheuk Cheung |
| Producer | Louis Yu |
| Cinematographer | Szeto Yat-lui, Mak Chi-kwan, Cheung Pak-ming |
| Editor | Emily Leung |
| Sound | Chan Chi-fung |
| Production | A Priori Image |
| World Sales | Golden Scene Company Ltd. |
