Beyond frontman film 'Because of You Ka Kui' to open Odyssey festival
“Because of You Ka Kui,” a documentary about late Beyond frontman Wong Ka Kui, will open the sixth Odyssey Film Festival in Britain.
The film will have its U.K. premiere as the festival’s opening night title, following an earlier theatrical run in Asia, reported Variety. Odyssey runs Sept. 28 to Oct. 10 in cinemas and online. The opening screening is set for Monday, Sept. 28 at Everyman King’s Cross in London.
The documentary tells the story of Wong, the Hong Kong rock band’s singer and songwriter. He died in an accident in Japan in 1993 at age 31. It was directed by Hong Kong director Rosa Pang and produced by Beyond founding member Yip Sai Wing and Leslie Chan, the manager credited with discovering the group.
A distribution deal sits behind the festival slot. The non-profit U.K.-China Film Collab has picked up the film for local distribution in the U.K., reported Variety. Talks began in March at FilMart, Hong Kong’s film and television market where rights are bought and sold, which the group attended with the U.K. Film Pavilion. Malaysian company Abnormal Studios had launched the film internationally at the same market as the lead title for its new international sales arm, the business that sells a film territory by territory.
Odyssey is programmed around a yearly theme. This year it is #Fashion, explored as identity, attitude, culture and memory rather than only clothes, according to the festival listing. There is a London link in the film itself. Its interview with Beyond founding member William Tang was shot in the city.
The festival and the distributor share leadership. Hiu Man Chan is Odyssey’s artistic director and the founder of U.K.-China Film Collab.
The team has tried this route before. Last year the group backed Robin Lee’s Hong Kong documentary “Four Trails” in the same way, opening Odyssey and then taking it into wider cinema release in 2025.
For fans, this means a quick path from festival to cinema. If “Four Trails” is the guide, the King’s Cross premiere will be a first step, not a one-off.
