Hong Kong director launches crowdfunding campaign to raise money for crime film
- Ronnie Chau aims to raise HK$10 million on Kickstarter to produce a movie starring actors Anthony Wong and Zeno Koo
- The film follows the story of a driving instructor using his students to commit crimes and has already raised HK$1.7 million
Hong Kong movie director Ronnie Chau is on a mission to crowdfund a film starring veteran actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang. Photo: SCMP/ Jonathan WongOne Hong Kong movie director is on an ambitious bid to crowdfund HK$10 million to produce a new film, having raised HK$1.7 million as of Friday.
Ronnie Chau, who has previously directed short films centred around social issues, launched his crowdfunding campaign on the US-based Kickstarter platform in mid-September.
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He aimed to raise HK$10 million by October 24 to produce a crime movie called The Young, The Old and The Rich, starring well-known actors Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Zeno Koo Ting-hin.
The film tells the story of a driving coach and his pupils. The coach uses underprivileged teens to help conduct his criminal activities, convincing them that their actions would make the world a better place, and that rich people are the cause of the world’s problems.
As of Friday, some 3,500 people have already chipped in about HK$1.7 million, with the largest single donation being HK$74,888.
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“Through crowdfunding, we can make a film that has been invested in by people who support our idea,” Chau said on his Kickstarter page.
The page explains that media companies and movie studios decide whether to invest in a movie based on how much money they think it could make in profits. It’s not uncommon for film scripts to be trashed if the studio is unable to secure funding, so to avoid this possible outcome, Chau’s team wants to produce a movie funded by the public, for the public.
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“It is a revolution for the film industry. We invite you to become an investor and join our revolution,” the page says.
Gifts such as online streaming tickets, movie posters and DVDs will be given to backers who pledge a certain amount of money.
If Chau’s team fails to raise HK$10 million by Sunday, 24 October at 8:20pm, all donations will be refunded. But if the funding target is met, the team will be able to make the film, which they aim to release in June 2023.