Latest news with #WilsonTrail
South China Morning Post
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
‘Four Trails' documentary wins Hong Kong hearts
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.'
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong hiker, 69, dies after collapsing on Wilson Trail
A 69-year-old hiker has died after collapsing on Hong Kong's Wilson Trail in Tsz Wan Shan. Advertisement The man, surnamed Ho, was found lying unconscious by hikers at around 9.13am on Wednesday on Section 5 of the trail. According to police, paramedics found Ho unresponsive. The Government Flying Service then dispatched a helicopter to airlift him to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10.59am despite resuscitation efforts. Temperatures on Wednesday ranged between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius (82.4 and 86.9 Fahrenheit), accompanied by high humidity levels between 70 and 90 per cent. The weather is mainly cloudy with isolated showers, as well as hot and sunny intervals in the afternoon. The about 8km long Wilson Trail Section 5 begins at Lion Pavilion on Sha Tin Pass Road, between Lion Rock and Tsz Wan Shan. The trail first passes through Shap Yi Wat and then connects to the aqueduct of Beacon Hill before ending at the Tai Po Road exit. Advertisement
