Over 15 years, and seven feature films, Hong Kong-based cinema provocateur SCUD established his own lushly sensual onscreen universe.
Populated by an evolving repertory of handsome young Asian actors and models, his films — from the 2008 sports drama City without Baseball, to 2017’s romance Adonis — explore equal parts philosophy and queer eroticism.
Deemed a pornographer by some critics (and government authorities), SCUD — the nom-de-film of Guangzhou-born artist and former IT specialist David Cheng — has seen his work embraced by festivals and fans worldwide.
He surprised them all by announcing earlier this year that following the late-2022 release of his 8th and 9th films, Apostles and Bodyshop, he planned to complete a 10th feature, and then retire from filmmaking.
In a chipper mood on a videoconference call from his current homebase in Bangkok, SCUD says that a number of factors figured into his decision to take a break from film, and from Hong Kong.
“Basically, I think the three years of the lockdown did take a toll on me,” he says. “There were so many things that I just couldn’t adjust myself to. Like, I have been a big traveler. I’ve traveled to 100 countries in my life. And suddenly for over two years, actually two years and four months, I was kept in the same place, which was the longest that ever happened to me since I left China. So I was depressed.”
With cinemas also locked down, SCUD worried that Apostles, in which an enigmatic guru invites twelve young men to his secluded manor to explore life and the after-life, would never see the light of day, nor would his follow-up Bodyshop, featuring much of the same cast.
“And actually, at that time, I even had problems finding distribution in Taiwan, which had always been my most reliable market.” Despite having garnered prizes and nominations, and chart-topping success with Adonis, in particular, the filmmaker felt he had hit a wall in his career, at the same time the world was at a standstill.
Worse, Hong Kong’s recently passed censorship laws would restrict his artistry, and endanger not only his industry but the actual lives and freedom of some of his colleagues.
“I began to lose my momentum,” he confesses. “Reached the bottom of my spirit, which was March this year, when I decided to just speak out to announce that, ‘Okay, that’s enough for me, and I’m done with it.’ But then, because of the response from my friends — my editors, especially — in April, I adjusted my decision somewhat to say, ‘Okay, I will make one more for you.’”
His tenth film will be Naked Nation: Tribe Hong Kong, a project about life in the lockdown that has inspired SCUD to keep the juices flowing. Although, he’s making no promises. “Otherwise it will be like, ‘Oh you are saying that you are retiring. But then you keep on doing these things,’ which is not my intention,” he jokes.
He is, however, appreciating the outpouring of SCUD love prompted by his retirement announcement. “Now, I’m actually quite happy that my two films came out,” he says. “Apostles came out. Bodyshop came out. And Hong Kong’s Lesbian and Gay Film Festival did a retrospective for me. Chicago also. And maybe later Melbourne. Very recently, only these days, we are hearing from some major festivals, so it seems that after all, I was not ending in a very distressed situation.”
Bodyshop will be available soon from Breaking Glass Pictures.
Apostles is currently available on VOD, DVD, and digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, Vimeo, and local cable and satellite networks.