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Allen Fong first attended the
Department of Communication,
Hong Kong Baptist College,
and went on to further his
studies at the University of
Georgia in the United States
in 1971. After completing a
master degree in Film Studies
at the University of Southern
California in September 1975,
he returned to Hong Kong and
joined the Radio Television
Hong Kong (RTHK). He started
out as Assistant Director
for the Below the Lion Rock series, and swiftly worked his
way up to Director. The Wild
Child and Ode to Un Chau
Chai, two episodes he made
in 1977, brought his talent to
the public eye. These were
followed by, among others, The
Extras, Old Plough, both based
on real-life characters. In his
television films, characters
matter more than story and
anything else; also visible is
his readiness to create an
episodic narrative style. Behind
his rich body of work is a keen
observer of society, a humanist
contemplating the meaning of
life and the joy and sorrow it
has to offer.
Allen Fong was invited back to the RTHK as guest director after years in the film industry. Veggie Queen and Opera Queen depict a persistent yet optimistic woman's passion for Cantonese opera and vegetarianism. The stories of a retired man and a bag lady's independent yet contented lives set the theme of Happy Teahouse and I Can Manage. This is a time when Allen Fong had a special fondness for stories of struggling nobodies. These are people living their own dreams and fighting this mundane world with indomitable energies, though their stories are always tinted with tragi-comic flavours.
| Last Updated On :16-6-2009 |
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