Tony Leung says serving on a film festival jury makes him nervous

Hong Kong cinema icon Tony Leungin the fourth decade of his famous career, he still has not lost the habit of going to the cinema.

“Even to this day, I go to watch movies at the cinema four or five times a week,” the actor said on Tuesday in Tokyo. International Film Festival, where he is the chairman of the event’s competition jury. “I’ve been doing this since I was a kid.”

But the actor, beloved by moviegoers for his work in Wong Kar Wai’s film, In the mood for loveAng Lee Lust, Cautionand Zhang Yimou Heroamong many others, said that judging films during a film festival provides a “completely different” viewing experience, and that worries him.

This year, Leung was joined on the Tokyo jury by a fellow Hong Kong film giant. Johnny ToHungarian film director Ildiko EnyediJapanese actress Ai Hashimoto and French actress Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of European cinema legends Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve.

“Watching films, being the chairman of the jury and working alongside these wonderful jury members, I often feel like maybe I’m not educated enough—or maybe I’m not smart enough,” Leung laughs.

To, who directed Leung in the 1998 Hong Kong crime thriller. The longest nightwas more optimistic about his role at the festival. The director is a renowned gourmet and wine connoisseur, not to mention the creator of about a dozen Hong Kong classics, including Mad Detective, Elections And Latest news — said he visits Tokyo several times a year to enjoy “wonderful Japanese cuisine.” He added that he and Leung shared tips on their favorite restaurants in the Japanese capital, arguably the world’s greatest food city. But the director said he was also in Tokyo this week on “work” and would bring an open mind to the festival’s varied program.

“I used to have anticipation or expectations before watching a film. Most of the time I was disappointed,” To said. “So now I try not to use any filters or assumptions before watching a film. It should be more intuitive,” he explained. “I just want to immerse myself in the movie.”

Mastroianni, whose latest feature film Marcello Miowhich will be the festival’s final event in Tokyo in 2024, noted that Leung’s frequent trips to the cinema are currently far from the norm.

“Unfortunately, all over the world right now, the habit of going to the cinema is something very precious and very rare because people have acquired new habits – because of platforms, COVID and many other reasons,” she said. “I really admire people who are still fighting to protect film festivals because I think it’s not only an opportunity to discover great directors, but also an opportunity to rediscover what it’s like to watch a film in a theater with people around you – people you don’t know, but who are you going to share this wonderful experience with.”