Film legend honored in DC

Updated: 2016-07-27 23:28

By HUA SHENGDUN in Washington

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As the old adage goes, oftentimes real life can be more inspiring than the movies.

For Hong Kong actress Kara Wai, that truth is a double-edged sword.

"I started begging on the streets when I was 3 years old," said Wai.

Her rags-to-riches story has culminated in a tribute to her iconic film career at this year's 21st Made in Hong Kong Film Festival, hosted by the Freer|Sackler Gallery, in Washington.

Film legend honored in DC

Kara Wai stars in Happiness as Auntie Fen, an older woman suffering from Alzheimer's. The film was premiered as part of the "Made in Hong Kong Film Festival" on July 15 in Washington. Provided to China Daily

The festival kicked off on July 15 with the world premiere of Kara Wai's newest film, Happiness, a poignant story about Chan Kai-yuk (Carlos Chan), a young man who moves to Hong Kong after his mother's death to look for his father.

After living on the streets, Chan is taken in as a tenant by Auntie Fen (Kara Wai), an older woman with early onset Alzheimer's who also has no family to speak of.

One of the film's underlying themes is the tragedy of Alzheimer's, a topic that Wai is quite familiar with, as her own mother suffered the grim fate.

"This is exactly what my mother would do and the challenges my mother was facing in her real life," said Wai. "So I just wanted to stay true to the role through the story, and reenact what people like my mother would suffer and the challenges they face."

The personal connection that Wai has with the character she portrays in the film presented an emotional challenge during filming, but led to an acclaimed performance by Wai on the screen.

"Every now and then I would be very sad getting into the role, because I saw my own mother in it," she said. "In fact, my mother no longer recognized people around her. So through this role, I wanted to portray the challenges they face so that more people will pay attention to people who suffer from the disease."

Wai's mother began to show symptoms of Alzheimer's around the age of 50, but she went undiagnosed for years. Wai simply thought she was being forgetful and air-headed.

"We didn't know that was a disease," Wai said. "We found it very annoying, she kept being forgetful, getting lost, and the police had to bring her home from time to time. We just found it annoying and were not very understanding."

In retrospect, Wai said, "I greatly regret the way I treated my mother during her years with Alzheimer's. I just hope that by seeing this movie, other people will not be as foolish as we were."

Wai used her mother as inspiration. "How I portrayed this role had to be true. With dialogue, no matter how brief the line is, it had to portray how people with Alzheimer's act," she said. "There is no overacting or faking it."

Wai emphasized this point to the audience before the film's world premiere at the Warner Brothers Theater in the National Museum of American History.

The premiere was the first of several of Wai's films to be shown during the festival. Last week's opening weekend featured a tribute to Wai, who became internationally known through her roles in Shaw Brothers Studios kung fu films of the 1970s and '80s.

My Young Auntie, for which Wai received her first Hong Kong Film Award in 1982, was shown last Sunday as part of the festival's tribute.

Wai said she was honored by being recognized in the US, as the part of Hong Kong she grew up in was home to many US soldiers who helped her struggling family during the Vietnam War era.

"For me to come to the United States to receive this honor is exciting. It's as if my family is recognizing my achievements. So I am happy to share this moment with people I consider my family," said Wai.

The Made in Hong Kong Film Festival, which is free and open to the public, runs from July 15 through Aug 21.

Some of the most popular recent films out of Hong Kong will be screened, including Stephen Chow's record-breaking comedy The Mermaid, Johnnie To's musical comedy Office and Ten Years, the subversive low-budget sci-fi movie that became a hit on the China mainland and Hong Kong.

Allan Fong in Washington contributed to the story

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