Johnny Mak (b. 1949, Hong Kong) joined the actor’s training programme at Rediffusion Television in the 1970s. After switching from cast to crew, he became an assistant director and screenwriter and later as a production director. He left RTV in 1981 and established his own production company. In 1984, he directed Long Arm of the Law, for which he won him Best Director at the Golden Horse Awards and which popularised the crime action genre. In the following decade, he was credited for producing and writing hits such as the sequels to Long Arm of the Law (1987, 1988), the gangster film Rich and Famous (1987), and the drug lord biopic To Be Number One (1991).

Thanonchai Sornsriwichai | 2008 | Digital | 30 sec.

In 2008, Hong Kong Broadband (HKBN) created a series of TV commercials filmed across the city’s eighteen districts. The videos, rich with comedic elements, unintentionally captured Hong Kong’s urban nostalgia.

Built in the colonial era, the roofs of tenement houses are often home to dozens of fishbone antennas and can also serve as playgrounds for children. In HKBN 18 Districts Campaign (Kowloon City), a group of children plays hide-and-seek on a rooftop. The seeker stumbles upon an unexpected find.

The next video in the sequence brings audiences a lighthearted scene filmed at the border control in North New Territories. HKBN 18 Districts Campaign (New Territories North) captures a comical moment when a customs officer finds something out of the ordinary in the luggage of a middle-aged woman.

Advertiser: Hong Kong Broadband Network

Brand: Hong Kong Broadband Network

Creative Agency: M&C Saatchi

Production House: Phenomena

YoungQueenz | 2017 | Digital | 3 min.

Inspired by the symbolism and history of Kowloon Walled City, rapper YoungQueenz teams up with his Wildstyle Records labelmates N.O.L.Y and Floyd Cheung in Dragon Town II. ‘We are the future, but being young is a death penalty,’ YoungQueenz snarls as they decry the bleak prospects of their generation. The menacing trap beats are paired with frantic images of working-class neighbourhoods, amplifying that a get-rich-or-die-trying mentality is key to survival in today’s dog-eat-dog society. YoungQueenz samples a dialogue from a RTHK docu-drama to heighten the characterisation of the Walled City.

About the Director

YoungQueenz (b. 1996, Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong rapper and founder of the hip hop collective Wildstyle Records. In 2015, he released his debut mixtape The Tuesday, featuring Wildstyle stalwarts such as Matt Force and GrymeMan. His mixtape Otaku Mobbin’ took a deep dive into the troubled mind of a rabid ‘otaku’ through trap music. After the release of his EP Dragon Town and album Spirited Away, he stunned the local independent music scene at the Wildstyle Records 10th Anniversary Concert with his elaborate stage design, choreography, and varied music elements. YoungQueenz regularly directs music videos for himself and other artists under his label.