Iconic Hong Kong film director Patrick Lung Kong passes away

This morning I received an email from Sifu Carl Albright informing me that iconic film director Patrick Lung Kong has passed away. Film Business Asia reported that Lung died at his U.S. home at the age of 79.

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance when Lung Kong was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image by another noted Hong Kong filmmaker, Tsui Hark. The event happened just prior to a screening of Lung Kong’s 1967 film The Story of a Discharged Prisoner. That evening also kicked off of a nine-film tribute to Patrick Lung Kong, which was co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival & the Museum, and sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office NY.

Tsui Hark and John Woo reimagined The Story of a Discharged Prisoner as the now cult classic crime thriller A Better Tomorrow 1986, starring Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Ti Lung and Kenneth Tsang.

Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo sent a heartfelt video message to his mentor Patrick Lung Kong, on the occasion. The video below was shown to the packed house just before the presentation of the award.

Here is a partial list of Patrick Lung Kong films:

  • Prince of Broadcasters (1966)
  • The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967)
  • The Window (1968)
  • Teddy Girls (1969)
  • Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (1970)
  • My Beloved (1971)
  • Pei Shih (1972)
  • Hong Kong Nite Life (1973)
  • The Call Girls (1973)
  • Hiroshima 28 (1974)
  • Laugh In (1976)
  • Nina (1976)
  • Mitra (1977)
  • The Fairy, the Ghost and Ah Chung (1979)