Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. — Photo courtesy of DANAFF

ĐÀ NẴNG — Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To will head the Asian Competition jury at the fourth edition of the Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival IV (DANAFF IV), bringing one of the region’s most recognisable directing voices into the heart of this year’s competition.

Best known for reshaping the Hong Kong crime genre, To brings more than four decades of filmmaking experience to the annual festival.

He began his career at Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), rising from production assistant to become one of the most influential figures in Hong Kong cinema.

Over the years, he has helped preserve the identity of Hong Kong genre filmmaking while introducing its cinematic language to major international film festivals including Cannes, Venice and Berlin.

Born in 1955, To joined TVB in 1974, where the demanding pace of television production served as a practical training ground that shaped his directing approach and production management skills. He became a television producer and director in 1977 before making his feature debut with The Enigmatic Case.

Unlike many directors of his generation who specialised in a single style, To developed a pragmatic understanding of the industry through his television background. He has often emphasised that filmmakers must first survive commercially before they can sustain artistic individuality.

In 1996, during a difficult period for the Hong Kong film industry marked by declining box office revenues, To co-founded production company Milkyway Image. The studio would go on to become synonymous with tightly structured storytelling, minimalist visual aesthetics and stylised action choreography.

Under Milkyway Image, To established a filmmaking philosophy that balanced commercial viability with artistic ambition. For him, commercial success was essential for a film company’s survival, but filmmakers also needed to preserve their cinematic voice.

His films are known not only for their entertainment value but also for their reflections on friendship, loyalty, morality and the hidden systems governing human relationships. Over decades, he built a close network of recurring collaborators whose performances became closely associated with his cinematic universe.

A scene in the film Election. — Photo courtesy of Milkyway Image

One of his earliest major successes was All About Ah-Long, starring Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang. The emotional drama went on to become one of Hong Kong’s biggest box office hits of 1989 and earned To a nomination for Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

By the late 1990s, To had reshaped the language of Hong Kong action cinema with The Mission, a low-budget crime noir completed in just 19 days. Featuring actors including Francis Ng, Anthony Wong and Simon Yam, the film redefined gangster heroism through restraint, silence and understated brotherhood.

His internationally acclaimed gangster saga Election and Election 2 further cemented his reputation as a filmmaker deeply engaged with power structures and political allegory. The films, starring actors such as Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo and Nick Cheung, were selected for competition at Cannes and helped introduce To’s work to wider international audiences.

Despite being best known for crime films, To also achieved significant commercial success in romantic comedies, particularly through collaborations with Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng in films such as Needing You and the action film Mad Detective.

A scene in the film Mad Detective. — Photo courtesy of Milkyway Image

His 2012 thriller Drug War, starring Sun Honglei and Louis Koo, further demonstrated his ability to blend commercial storytelling with darker reflections on betrayal, survival and moral collapse.

Beyond filmmaking, To has also contributed significantly to nurturing emerging talent in Asian cinema. He has been actively involved in the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and founded the Fresh Wave Short Film Initiative to support young filmmakers.

His extensive experience as a jury member at prestigious festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, the Venice Film Festival in 2008 and the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, is expected to bring added professional depth and international perspective to DANAFF IV.

Organisers said To’s experience across directing, producing and commercial cinema will help identify Asian films that not only demonstrate artistic value but also connect strongly with audiences.

DANAFF IV, themed Bridging Asia to the World, will be held from June 28 to July 4, inviting submissions from filmmakers in Việt Nam and the Asia-Pacific region.

Further information can be found at https://vfda.vn/ and https://danaff.vn/. — VNS