Johnnie To on his New York film retrospective, Hong Kong of old and why hope is a burden

The director sheds light on the difficulty of making films in Hong Kong, his shooting methods and change in Asia, as MoMA honours his work

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Hong Kong film director Johnnie To at the Criterion Collection while in New York for his Chaos and Order retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. He talks to the Post about once having “a freer hand” in Hong Kong, and the future of the Asian movie industry. Photo: Daniel Eagan

Published: 4:15pm, 24 Sep 2024Updated: 5:03pm, 24 Sep 2024

American film distribution company The Criterion Collection is one of the most widely referenced arbiters of taste in world cinema.

Rummaging through the Criterion “closet” – a fabled space at its headquarters in New York, which houses copies of films in its catalogue – has become a tradition for filmmakers, who pick and choose from shelves overflowing with Blu-ray discs and DVDs.

Fittingly, the closet is where the Post met Hong Kong director Johnnie To Kei-fung recently. “[Akira] Kurosawa, [Sam] Peckinpah, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Jean-Pierre Melville,” he says, pointing to his haul.

The company recently released a Blu-ray box set of The Heroic Trio, To’s 1993 fantasy action hit, and Executioners, its sequel; more To titles are on the way.

Johnnie To in a Polaroid taken during his visit to the Criterion closet in New York in September 2024. Photo: Instagram/@criterioncollection

We are here to talk about “Chaos and Order”, a retrospective of To’s films at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Running until October 13, the programme features a variety of To productions, from comedies and romances to his signature thrillers.

“Johnnie To is simply unmatched,” MoMA curator La Frances Hui tells the Post. “His films encompass so many genres, and his love of cinema is total. His filmography is a record of Hong Kong life and culture – in fact, he is the only established director still committed to Hong Kong, to Cantonese language and culture.”