Wu Jing MIFFest honor puts Hong Kong action back in the spotlight
Wu Jing accepted MIFFest’s Excellent Achievement in Film Award and said Hong Kong action cinema still shapes modern wuxia films.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Wu Jing at MIFFest turned an awards stop into a salute to Hong Kong action cinema, telling Variety that the tradition still leaves its mark on wuxia filmmaking, including his own work.
The actor-producer received the Malaysia International Film Festival’s Excellent Achievement in Film Award while attending a special screening of Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, Variety reported.
The film was directed by Hong Kong action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and is adapted from Xu Xianzhe’s martial arts comic. Variety reported that it opened during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday and earned $215 million.
At the MIFFest screening, the movie drew an energetic response from the audience, according to Variety. Wu then faced questions about a project he clearly knows down to the frame.
During the post-screening Q&A, Wu said the film contains more than 3,000 shots across a running time of 125 minutes and 48 seconds. He added that he remembers every minute and every sound, Variety reported.
What did Wu Jing say at MIFFest?
Wu told Variety that Hong Kong’s action tradition remains central to how fight scenes are staged around the world. He said modern action sequences often rely on methods developed by Hong Kong cinema.
He identified two major Hong Kong contributions to global filmmaking: action choreography and production know-how. Wu told Variety that Hong Kong producers were once able to oversee three films at the same time, calling that a starting point for an industrialized approach to moviemaking.
Asked whether he was happy with the finished version of Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, Wu said his view shifted throughout production. He told Variety that after release, a movie no longer belongs to its maker, so he ultimately does not give it a score.
Wu has worked as an actor, director, producer and investor, but he described that range as part of the normal grind of filmmaking rather than a grand achievement. He told Variety that every job on a set matters and said film sets are filled with people to learn from.
He also said taking on different responsibilities has changed the way he acts. According to Variety, Wu said the experience taught him to respect everyone involved in helping build a character.
How does Wu Jing see wuxia changing?
Wu told Variety there is no fixed answer for how younger audiences will connect with wuxia as short-form video and new viewing habits pull attention in different directions.
He said Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert was made from affection for the genre. According to Variety, Wu said the team wanted to make one more major martial arts spectacle even if wuxia felt as though it was fading.
Wu also pointed to the film’s wide age range among performers. He told Variety that the cast includes a master close to 100 years old who helped introduce both Jet Li and Wu to the industry, as well as a youngest actor born in 2020.
For Wu, that age span reflects the history of wuxia itself, Variety reported. He also said visual effects can improve martial arts scenes, but argued that the real craft is using the body to express character and reach viewers with sincerity.
Wu compared today’s technological shifts to earlier changes in entertainment. He told Variety that cinema once displaced shadow puppetry without wiping out Peking Opera or theater, and said film will continue in new forms as audience habits change.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.