Underplayed Gems

The Lyricist Wannabe (2024)

The Lyricist Wannabe poster
Original title
填詞L
Directed by
Norris Wong
Genre
drama, music
Country
Hong Kong
Runtime
1h 50m
Rated
12A
Rating
6.6 of 10 from 7 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A young woman in Hong Kong dreams of writing lyrics for Cantopop songs. She faces repeated rejections and financial struggles as she pursues her goal.

aspirationalbittersweetdownbeatearnestgentleintimatelow-keymoodywistful

What happens

The Lyricist Wannabe (Chinese: 填詞L) is a 2023 Hong Kong drama film directed and written by Norris Wong and starring Chung Suet Ying, Eric Kot, Anson Chan, Amy Tang, Sabrina Ng, Chu Pak Hong, Ernest Poon and Yukki Tai in lead roles. The film is the first motion picture to be about Cantopop lyric writing, with Chung taking on the lead and titular role as a student with frustrated aspirations to become a lyricist. Norris Wong conceived the idea for a Cantonpop-themed film in 2019 following her debut project, My Prince Edward. Self-funded by Wong and producer Wong Hoi, pre-production commenced in 2021. Filming took place in Hong Kong and Taiwan over fifteen days from July 2022 to April 2023, with several cast members accepting reduced or pro bono compensation due to budget constraints. The film premiered at the 20th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival on 12 November 2023, before releasing theatrically on 7 March 2024. It was named as a Film of Merit in the 30th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and Chung was nominated for Best Leading Actress in the 60th Golden Horse Awards and Best Actress in the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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