Asian Cinema Fund

ACF Asian Cinema Fund

Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund

2017 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

LIST I′ve Got the Blues

Category	BIFF Mecenat Fund
Project	I′ve Got the Blues
Director	Angie CHEN
Country	Hong Kong(China)
Director's Profile	Angie CHEN has been making films since 1979. She was brought up in Hong Kong and Taiwan, received her BA and MA from the University of Iowa, MFA from UCLA, and lived in America for more than a decade. She now resides in Hong Kong working in the film industry as a director/producer, and teaching part-time in the Film Academy’s MFA Program at Baptist University. After making three movie features in the eighties, she entered the commercial film business in the nineties. Recently she has made a comeback and directed two feature-length documentaries, This Darling Life (2008) and One Tree Three Lives (2012). i′ve got the blues is her latest work.

Synopsis: Wong Yan-kwai is a complex man.
The film follows and reveals him in his essence, in his element.
In his interactions with the director, we discover unexpected elements of this character, and what it is like to “tango” with an artist who may be difficult and lives in a box of his choosing.
Sparks and arguments, egos and humility, love and betrayal, all surface.
This is a film about human complexity, doubts, love, hate, uncertainty, poverty, and talent. What makes this person the way he is? Does a person need nobility of the soul to be a great artist? Artists are often portrayed as self-centered, if not extremely selfish. Someone said of the musician Ginger Baker, “you can be thoroughly unpleasant, egocentric and still be a brilliant artist.” The actions of artists ? painters and writers and musicians alike ? are often excused because of their otherworldly creative talent. Are these stereotypes?
This film will attempt to unravel some of these mysteries.

Director's Note: I relish telling moving stories through documentaries.
Wong Yan-kwai says, “I’m a born painter, so I paint.” He’s curious about everything, passionate about creativity, the arts, and people. If my previous documentaries are about love, I can see his deep love for what he does.
Through him - a painter, writer, musician, photographer, andart director - we will engage on another journey of discovery. It might be a film about love, about persistence, about betrayal, about obstinacy, or about ego. I remember his famous line: “When you are used to poverty, you don’t feel poor. I am in touch with my basic instincts, and I respect and follow it. That’s why I’m happy.” Hong Kong is known for being about money. I have sought to bring the vibrant underground art scene to the forefront, to introduce “Yank” and his friends, to make this film not only about Yank, but also about Hong Kong and its people.

Festivals: 2017 Busan International Film Festival - Wide Angle_Documentary Showcase

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