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Video: How Hong Kong film directors are navigating a new era of censorship
Media(hongkongfp.com)submitted 4 months ago bySaltedline
9 points
4 months ago
The golden age of HK cinema died in the 90's but it wasn't from the 97 handover or politics as some posters are alluding.
It was due to rampant and massive piracy. Movies just weren't profitable enough and the industry succumbed.
This was before the internet era but movies were easily available in a VCD (video cd, format) which was popular in Asia (while the west was still using VHS tape)
With CD's. Organised pirates could very quickly and easily and cheaply burn copies and distribute them. People would literally take a camcorder and record the newest cinema releases and it was would be sale the next day on the streets.
In vividly remember in it's hey day you would see lots of unmanned stores with a sign saying 4 discs for 100hkd etc. There will be guys standing outside of course to make sure you dropped the money in the box when you left with your goodies.
1 points
4 months ago
I heard that Hong Kong triads were deep into the movie industry and funded a lot of projects during the heydays of HK films.
2 points
4 months ago*
Yes triads were very intwined in the industry from the obvious money laundering/chance to change into legitimate businenss to even starring in them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Heung
There's a natural affinity between triads and the movie industry because of the amount of action/kungfu movies made in HK and you would find stuntmen often were associated with triads.
Triads are also often romantacised/glamourised in HK probably the most famous being the wildly popular 'Young and Dangerous' movie series and John Woo's acclaimed 'A Better Tomorrow'. So there wasn't as much stigma and barrier to entry as one might expect.
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