Podtalk: Kenneth Tsang, Lifetime Achievement Recipient at Asian Pop-Up Cinema, Oct. 10, 2019

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CHICAGO – Season Nine of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) is coming to its grand finale, and it closes by honoring one of the most prolific character actors in Hong Kong cinema with its Lifetime Achievement Award … the incomparable Kenneth Tsang. The actor, who has also appeared in Western films like “Die Another Day” and “Rush Hour 2,” began his career in 1955 and has over 250 credits in his long career. He also appears in the APUC film finale and wrap up to Season Nine, “The Attorney” (Hong Kong), which will screen on October 10th, 2019, at the AMC River East 21 Theatre in Chicago. For tickets and more info, click here.

APUC Honors Actor Kenneth Tsang Kong with Lifetime Achievement Award
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

After a false start in the film industry (listen to the Podtalk below), Tsang studied architecture at Berkeley in San Francisco. When he settled back in Hong Kong he couldn’t connect to a building design career, so he went back to acting in films. The Chinese and Hong Kong film industry was an assembly line in the 1960s and ‘70s, and Tsang took full advantage of it, racking up an astounding 60 films from 1967 through 1970. Eventually, his path crossed with legendary Hong Kong director John Woo, with roles in “A Better Tomorrow” and “The Killer.” In his later career, he’s appeared in mainstream films like “Anna and the King” and “Memoirs of a Geisha.” Kenneth Tsang will receive the APUC Lifetime Achievement Award before the screening of “The Attorney.”

This Chicago Premiere of “The Attorney” is part of the program-packed Season Nine of APUC, as their new format (multiple films per week) highlighted a different Asian country or theme every week. APUC is facilitated by founder and veteran film programmer Sophia Wong Bocchio, and Season Nine featured films from South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, among others. The films mainly screen at Chicago’s AMC River East 21, with various other locations throughout the season (click link below at the end of the article for more details).

Kenneth Tsang in Season Nine APUC Finale, ‘The Attorney’ (Hong Kong)
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Kenneth Tsang talks about his brilliant career, and his Life Achievement acting advice.

On Page Two, Patrick McDonald talks to Executive Producer Cherrie Lau and screenwriter Frances To of “The Attorney.”