Hong Kong filmmaker Robin Lee was told to keep his expectations “very low” before his documentary was first shown in cinemas last December. People said audiences would not be interested in a sports documentary without any big celebrities.
“Once we released it, we were told to not get too excited. Documentaries are not super popular – sports documentaries even less popular,” Lee said.
Still, 36-year-old Lee believed in the power of his film, Four Trails, to connect with people. The documentary follows 18 runners as they take on a gruelling 298km challenge, while showcasing Hong Kong’s natural beauty.
“But then movie critics loved it, and the audience really liked it ... [That] really made it all worth it,” he said.
Against the odds, Four Trails became a hit. It earned over HK$10 million and became the second highest-grossing documentary in Hong Kong history. It also helped Lee win the title of Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
The 101-minute documentary shows the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge in February 2021. This is one of the world’s toughest ultra-marathons. Runners must finish Hong Kong’s four major hiking trails within 72 hours.
Lee’s documentary has sparked an appreciation for Hong Kong’s trails. Film star and avid hiker Chow Yun-fat even helped promote the film. A group of pupils were inspired to hike sections of the Lantau Trail with one of the runners shown in the movie.
Many people are hopeful that the success of Four Trails could help others in the city’s small documentary scene.
But for Lee, making money was never his motivation.
“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.
A tough race to film
Before filming began, Lee hiked most of Hong Kong’s four major trails: MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau. He wanted to find spots to film and connect with the runners before the race.
Lee recruited his brother and a few freelancers to help film during the race. Once it started, 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 exhausted.
“I only slept two or three hours; my brother had just one ... Your head is playing all these games with you that you don’t really know which is the right decision to make.”
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.
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What’s the future for documentaries?
Lee hopes that the success of his documentary 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 believes other documentary filmmakers should focus on originality.
“If you can keep making original and new content, that’s going to get people talking, then that’s the best thing for the industry,” he said.
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Reflect: What is the longest distance you have ever run?
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Why this story matters: Hong Kong has a lot of beauty to offer, and this documentary shares the city’s trails with the world. It is not easy to release a documentary as an independent filmmaker, but Robin Lee is giving his all to make his mark.
