Hong Kong – A helicopter was dismantled piece by piece and reassembled inside a historic heritage site for a new exhibition celebrating Hong Kong’s classic buddy films, according to two leading film professionals who shared behind-the-scenes stories on a new radio program.
Director Chan Wing-sun and production designer Cheung Man appeared as the first guests on Metro Radio’s new show “Minutes to Movie” alongside host Ting Kin-fung. Chan served as curator and Cheung as art director for “Riding Together: We Ride Side by Side in the Light and Shadows” at Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts. To avoid damaging the protected walls and floors, the team cut the helicopter into parts, calculated weight loads with engineers, and reassembled the vehicle inside the venue.
The exhibition focuses on eight iconic Hong Kong buddy films and features guided tour videos and conversations with industry veterans, including Aaron Kwok, Man Nian-chung, Louis Koo, Sammi Cheng, Lam Ka-tung, Richie Jen, and Mok Kai-kwong.
Chan said the most memorable moment was securing a video contribution from his lifelong idol Sam Hui. He originally hesitated to approach Hui, jokingly describing it as “a feeling of admiring from afar but never daring to touch.” Through a chain of contacts involving Stephen Chan and Siu Chiu-shun, Hui replied within two days.
When Chan received the video link, he called it a “sacred object.” He waited until his family was asleep, bathed, and then played the clip alone. Hearing Hui’s voice and his classic hit “The Best Partner” moved Chan to tears. “To have my idol appear in my project—it’s an achievement. One of the peaks of my life,” he said.
Cheung noted that this exhibition was more challenging than previous ones. Tai Kwun’s narrow entrance and heritage restrictions meant the team had to transport the helicopter in pieces. Experts assessed load capacity and safety to ensure no damage to the historic structure.
Cheung also revealed she is transitioning from art director to film director. Her debut feature’s script was written eight years ago, deliberately setting scenes in both Iceland and Hong Kong to contrast the protagonist’s emotional and physical journey. After securing funding through the First Feature Film Initiative, a crew of about ten traveled to Iceland, with many members handling multiple roles. The male lead is Jer Lau of the boy band MIRROR, who also shot a music video during the trip.
Cheung had planned to film snow scenes in February, but Iceland experienced an unusually warm winter with no snow. A heavy snowstorm arrived only after the crew left, which she considered fortunate because
