Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong
In 2023, the director’s farewell film “Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong” has been filmed, written, directed and starred in by Scud, and is his only performance in the big screen. The film is shot in a semi-documentary format and is dedicated to all the performers from different parts of the world and different cultural backgrounds over the years. The “Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong” is a film about the life in Hong Kong over the past three unusual years, about “how some people live their lives to the fullest, and how some people go against the grain”. Scud describes the film as an “absurd comedy” and believes that it is not difficult for the audience to resonate with the absurd and bizarre stories in the film. In fact, Scud had already written a script with the same title “The Naked Nations” many years ago, which not only talked about the “Chinese nation”, but also recounted his own family history. However, due to the difficulties in filming such a subject in Mainland China, he finally had no choice but to change his plan, narrowing down the geography and the scope of the subject matter, and the work is still titled “The Naked Nations”, which he believes the viewers will understand the hidden meaning of the title.
Running Time: 161mins
Written, Produced & Directed by SCUD
Cinematography by Kira Fung/ Art Direction by Irving and Kalin Wong/ Costume Design by Choi On Ni/ Music by Beatrice Wong/ Edited by Pierre Mui/ Sound Design by Nip Kei Wing
Main Cast
Adonis/ Beatrice/ Chris/ Derek/ Fung/ Gabriel/ Jeff/ Joe/ Kelvin/ King/ Kingie/ Kong/ Peter /Rauv /SCUD/ Tank/ Will
- 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam – Official Selection and Focus Director
“Almost leaving filmmaking behind after Utopians(2016), and then after Apostles (2022) and again after Bodyshop(2022), incessantly stubborn Scud ended up fulfilling his prophecy jokingly uttered to Osman Hung when he was casting him as the lead of Permanent Residence(2008): Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong is Scud’s tenth film leaving no doubts it is his goodbye to filmmaking, and his last dedication to the art, the place and the people he loves.
Produced over the past three or so years, Naked Nations functions as a drama, a making-of, a documentary and an act of defiance. It is a film about people who have lost and re-found hope, and those who managed to always hold on to it. Scud invites his collaborators from previous films, states his case and faces the final curtain, and this time he’s the one stripping down, confirming once and for all that this attitude was never merely pretence.
Naked Nations is a deeply human, joyful, poignant and heartbreaking film about freedom and its many manifestations, fragility and limits, a film about life, depression and difficult decisions. But above all, a film about love.
– kijA”
Information Sources: IFFR 2024
More：William Lo / Rauv / Joe / Beatrice Wong / Derek Lai / Amanda Lee / Stanley Wu / Adonis He / Tank Liu / Susan Shaw / Simon Tam / Osman Hung / Hong Lau
