‘Four Trails' documentary wins Hong Kong hearts

South China Morning Post

4 days ago

Before his documentary was first shown in cinemas last December, Hong Kong filmmaker Robin Lee was told to keep his expectations 'very low'. People said audiences would not be interested in a sports documentary that did not have any big celebrities.
Still, 36-year-old Lee believed his film, Four Trails, had the power to connect with people.
The 101-minute documentary follows 18 runners in Hong Kong as they take on a gruelling 298km challenge, while showcasing our city's natural beauty.
'Movie critics loved it, and the audience really liked it,' the director said. '[That] really made it all worth it.'
The film grossed over HK$10 million and earned Lee the Best New Director title at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards.
'Around the world, people don't look at Hong Kong as a trail running destination, so I was really excited to show people this is what Hong Kong has to offer,' he said.
Hong Kong filmmaker and the director of documentary 'Four Trails', Robin Lee, on the Wilson Trail in Tai Tam. Photo: Jonathan Wong
A tough race to film
The Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge is one of the world's toughest ultra-marathons. Runners must finish Hong Kong's four major hiking trails within 72 hours.
Before filming began, Lee hiked most of MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau in search of spots to film and ways to connect with the runners before the race. He also recruited his brother and a few freelancers to help film during the race.
Once filming started in early 2021, one of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to tell the stories of 18 athletes moving at different paces.
'You have to be really flexible,' he said. By the third day, he and his team were pushed to the brink of exhaustion. 'I only slept two or three hours; my brother had just one.'
The filmmakers could relate to some of the physical and mental strain that the runners were facing.
'You see them hallucinating and going crazy, as the cameraman and the director were also going through a similar situation,' Lee said.
Even after the race ended, Lee had to edit the footage while juggling his freelance work. Since he funded Four Trails on his own, he would work on other short projects before returning to edit the documentary.
A still from 'Four Trails', showing a runner during the February 2021 ultra-marathon. Photo: Edko Films Ltd.
Future of documentaries
Lee hopes that Four Trails' success can inspire more support for documentary filmmaking in Hong Kong.
'If you're investing in film, you don't have to shy away from a documentary – as long as the story is good,' he said.
'All the stories in Four Trails are real. They're not made up. That, in many ways, makes it even more exciting than some fictional feature films,' Lee added.
'If you can keep making original and new content, that's going to get people talking.'