Christopher Doyle: On Asian Cinema and America

"In recent years, much of what our films do and the talents that make them have been exported or appropriated; it's pretty much an East-West one way street. Occasionally an Asian 'punter' might come back with a diploma or an investment. But most who have "made it" jump on the bandwagon of the Hollywood dream.

The tide is turning. The Last Samurai took his first and last breath on New Zealand's East Coast. The Great Wall is seen more often from Burbank than suborbital space these days. Thailand, Korea, and China are creating vibrant local cinemas that are becoming more prestigious than a fake Rolex watch. My curiosity and the desire to challenge convention have provoked me into working on local production in China, Korea, Japan, and Thailand, as well as in the United States, Australia, and France."

-Christopher Doyle, HKSC