May You Stay Forever Young (2022)

Curiosità

May You Stay Forever Young is a 2021 Hong Kong drama film directed by Rex Ren and Lam Sum, written and produced by Ren and Daniel Chan. The film, set in the background of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, was produced by Phone Made Good Film and stars an ensemble cast of nine. It focuses on a group of Hongkongers, including protesters, volunteers, and a social worker, who form a rescue team in an attempt to find and save a young girl struggling with suicidal thoughts amid the protests. Documented footage of the protests is also included in the film.

Production

In June 2019, the Hong Kong government introduced a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance concerning extradition without public consent, which sparked a series of protests. A protest on 12 June 2019 faced violent suppression by the police, further fuelling public dissatisfaction with the government's refusal to respond to public sentiment and impacting the mental health of the protesters.

The directors and screenwriters of May You Stay Forever Young, Rex Ren, Lam Sum, and Daniel Chan, all participated in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and took part in the rescue operations of the volunteer teams. Ren was approached by an anonymous film producer who discussed the volunteer teams that emerged during the protests with him and envisioned to create a film about them, seeking a group of new Hong Kong directors to lead the project.

Ren became acquainted with film critic Daniel Chan while joining protests together, and he told Chan about the conception of the film during one of the rallies, where Chan expressed interest. Scriptwriting began in July 2019, having a skeleton completed by late July. Ren and Chan co-wrote the screenplay together at Ren's home.

The screenplay was finalised by September 2019, with the entire writing period spanning less than a month. The project was originally intended to have three directors, each filming a storyline separately, but the third director withdrew before filming began, leaving Ren and Lam Sum as co-directors. Lam had a friend who also experienced suicidal thoughts during the protests, which deeply affected him regarding the subject matter.

Aside from stage actress Ivy Pang and three drama students, the other leading actors had no prior acting experience. Ren selected a group of potential amateurs for auditions, including Calvin Tong, whom he approached at a mall, as well as Ivy Pang, Sammi Mak, and Suen Ching, with whom he was already acquainted with. The original actor for Nam was also approached by Ren during a protest march in Wan Chai.

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