Tsui Hark Honors Nansun Shi at Lumière Festival, Eyes AI

Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark opened his Lumière Film Festival masterclass in Lyon on Sunday with an emotional tribute to Nansun Shi, his former wife and longtime producing partner, who died on July 13 at the age of 75.

"I miss my partner, Nansun, who helped me on so many projects over so many years," Tsui said after watching a montage of highlights from his career.

Clearly moved and searching for words, he added: "I would say that my coming here is also a tribute to her. I hope that if she is around us spiritually, she's happy about what we are doing here."

Who was Nansun Shi?

Shi was one of the most influential figures in Hong Kong cinema. She co-founded Film Workshop with Tsui in 1984 and helped produce some of the industry's defining films, bringing them to international audiences.

Although the couple divorced, they continued their professional collaboration. In 2025, they received a joint Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Tsui, a leading figure of the Hong Kong New Wave who reinvented the martial arts genre, is best known for:

• "Shanghai Blues"
• "Peking Opera Blues"
• "Once Upon a Time in China"
• "Green Snake"
• the "Detective Dee" franchise

What is Tsui Hark working on next?

The multiple Hong Kong Film Award winner shared details of a new project bridging Eastern and Western cultures.

"I'm working on a comedy in London," he said, explaining that the story brings together people of different cultures to confront a serious problem. "I think we need to put people of different cultures together nowadays to face something serious, so that we have a funny angle looking at this kind of collaboration."

Tsui said he has always believed in thinking five years ahead rather than living in the present. He is exploring how growing media platforms might create experiences that bring people closer together — including a dreamlike future version of a city such as Hong Kong or Beijing. "The present is so real. Maybe we need something more inspiring to go on," he said.

What did Tsui Hark say about AI?

Tsui reflected on increasingly blurred boundaries between reality and illusion in a world dominated by advertising, political propaganda, the internet and Artificial Intelligence. He described modern society as constantly influenced by messages designed to shape people's beliefs and behavior.

"We are being very passive to our environment," he said. "We have a problem with our identity."

"I think it's getting more ridiculous now that we have AI in our culture," he added. "The funny part of AI is that you're not sure whether what you see is real or not real."

That uncertainty frightens him. "When you wake up, you don't know what's real," he said, admitting he had no idea what the next five years would bring.

Despite those concerns, Tsui insisted humor remains essential, even for the gravest subjects. "The world is so chaotic. We have viruses, we have wars, we have economic problems. I don't know how human beings can survive through all these problems," he said.

Cinema, he believes, can offer a different perspective: "One of the important elements in filmmaking is that maybe we can entertain and inject humor into our belief that the world is still a wonderful place to live."

The Lumière retrospective screens four of his films: "Shanghai Blues" (1984), "Peking Opera Blues" (1986), "Once Upon a Time in China" (1991) and "Time and Tide" (2000). The festival runs in Lyon through Oct. 18 — the London comedy, still untitled, is the project to watch next.