Herman Yau’s latest film, Customs Frontline, premiered globally at the FEFF 26 in Udine this past May and is set for its Asian premiere in Hong Kong this July. A maverick director known for his prolific output, Yau was born in China in 1961 and studied Film at Hong Kong Baptist University. Over a remarkable 30-year career, he has directed more than 70 films, consistently pushing the boundaries of Hong Kong cinema.

In a recent interview, Yau shared insights into the creative process behind Customs Frontline. The film, developed with a production company keen on creating an action movie, incorporates themes of anti-war sentiments and the impact of bipolar disorder on individuals’ lives. 

Yau’s extensive filmography includes the notorious The Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996), known for their intense violence. In 2001, he broke new ground with Master Q 2001, the first Chinese-language film to combine live-action and computer animation. His film Sara (2014) earned nominations for the Grand Prize at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and was recognized as a Film of Merit by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. In 2024, Yau’s The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023) was featured at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

Yau’s skills extend beyond directing to cinematography and editing. He values collaboration with his cinematographers, ensuring each shot’s quality and effectiveness. His experience as an editor before becoming a director has shaped his appreciation for the editing process, which he continues to enjoy for its quiet, meticulous nature compared to the busy life on film sets.

Despite being best known for action films, Yau resists being pigeonholed solely as an action director. His diverse body of work and reflections on his identity as a filmmaker encourage him to explore various themes and styles. Yau believes his success is a result of hard work and a bit of luck, evidence of his enduring influence on Hong Kong cinema.

View of the Arts: Customs Frontline is your latest project. Can you give us some insights into the creative process behind this film?

Herman Yau: From the very beginning, when I first met with the production company, they wanted me to create an action film. We developed the script together, and then I started thinking about what additional elements could make the film more engaging. For Customs Frontline, I decided to focus on two main themes: an anti-war message and the impact of bipolar disorder on people’s lives. Mental health issues, especially in the workplace, are a significant concern in many societies.

I aimed to enrich the film with an anti-war aura and highlight the struggles of those with bipolar disorder. It’s important to me that the audience sees these individuals not as patients, but as normal people facing challenges through no fault of their own. Bipolar disorder is a modern-age condition, and labelling those affected by it as “patients” is inappropriate. I want to bring attention to their experiences and promote understanding and empathy as well.

View of the Arts: You’ve collaborated with Nicholas Tse on this film. He was also the action director on this film, so how’s your collaboration with him on this film?

Herman Yau: First, I cast Nicolas to be one of the film’s protagonists, and later on, he asked me if he would take on the role of the action director. I didn’t decide at once, I wanted to think about it, but after 24 hours, I answered yes [laughs]. When I decided to take him on board as an action choreographer, I knew he would try his best and yes, that’s how we ended up working together. 

View of the Arts: Action sequences are often the highlight of your films. How do you approach choreographing and shooting these scenes to ensure maximum impact and realism?

Herman Yau: Let’s first talk about realism. Realism is an abstract word. Something that might be real to you could be fake to me because of our different life experiences and what we have encountered. During our test screening, the audience said that some of the car action scenes, such as the car falling off to the ground, couldn’t be done in real life. But on set, we had an actual driver driving the car, and all the crashes were real. Also, the scene where a car crashes into a man and he is thrown up to about 5 metres looks surreal to the audience, but it was shot for real. So as you can see, many things are real to me but look surreal to the audience, which is why I see realism as an abstract word.

Even considering this situation, I did witness a similar one in real life. One day, I was walking on the streets and saw a man hit by a car. He flew a few metres away, and later, I found out from newspapers that he survived the accident. So even life itself is full of surreal things.

Looking at Customs Frontline, our action scenes, although they look very dangerous and at times unrealistic to the audience, I believe they are well-balanced, as they can seriously happen in real life.

View of the Arts: For those who might not know, in addition to being a film director and screenwriter, you are also a cinematographer. How does your experience as a cinematographer influence your collaboration with other cinematographers when making films?

Herman Yau: Working with my cinematographers is very important, and we always strive to make our films look good. We discuss everything and aim to get the best shot. However, if something goes wrong, we reshoot the scene. I have known Joe Chan, Ngai Man-yin, and Derek Siu for years, and we have built a mutual understanding. What’s interesting is that we don’t have to talk much on set, but it took us time to get to where we are now. Time helps build such an understanding.

View of the Arts: With your extensive experience as a cinematographer, how does your approach to directing differ when you’re also handling the camera work?

Herman Yau: For most of my films when I work as a director, I tell them that I would like a DOP/cinematographer to do it. There is one thing that I am sticky about is the angle of the camera, just to make sure I get the best position for a shoot and to be more efficient while filming. 

View of the Arts: Your film Shock Wave received critical acclaim for its intense action and gripping storyline. What lessons did you learn from that film that you applied to Customs Frontline?

Herman Yau: In terms of the technical side of filmmaking, I would say I go with the flow. As for how I make sense of myself as a filmmaker when continuously making action films, I sometimes think and wonder who I am as a film director. In the past few years, I tried to secure a couple of projects; however, due to censorship, one of the projects was put on hold, and the other is in post-production, hoping the censorship won’t affect it. In all honesty, I don’t want to be described as just an action director.

View of the Arts: When it comes to editing, do you prefer to sit closely with the editor or take a more hands-off approach, allowing them the freedom to work until you review the final edit together?

Herman Yau: Editing itself is a very long process, and I must admit I do enjoy editing from time to time. Before I developed my career as a cinematographer and film director, I was editing films, and being an editor was one of my favourite positions. When I became a director, I enjoyed editing even more. You probably wonder why—well, after intense time on set, loud noises, and countless hours working with a massive amount of people, being in an editing studio, in silence, feels great. Seeing the film come together shot by shot is very exciting too.

The films I made early in my career, I edited myself. After a few years of doing it, I developed a mutual understanding with my editors and let them do their job. After 20 or 30 years, and parting with my old editor, I now allow the new ones to do their magic. But yes, editing was and still is something I enjoy doing.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image © 2024 Alice BL Durigatto

_{*** The interview took place at this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.}

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