Film biography
Clara Law is one of China's most celebrated directors. Films include 'The Other Half and The Other Half' (1988), 'Reincarnation of Golden Lotus' (1989), 'Farewell China' (1990), 'Autumn Moon' (1991), 'Temptation Monk' (1993), 'Floating Life'(1996) and 'The Goddess of 1967'.

She has also won many awards including the Silver Hugo for Best Director at the 36th Chicago International Film Festival for 'The Goddess of 1967', which was also nominated for a Golden Lion at The Venice Film Festival.

Why films?
When Clara graduated from The University of Hong Kong, she tried her hand at writing, but soon found English as a second language, a difficult means with which to express herself. By successfully applying for a position at RTHK (HK Government TV) she found her truth path – making films.

Her time at RTHK gave her good, intensive training in film making, providing her with skills she was later to develop when she studied at The National Film and Television School in London. Her decision to study in London arose from her quest to gain a true technical understanding of filmmaking. She was often frustrated by answers she would receive when she wanted achieve a certain look or film a certain camera angle.

Crossing boundaries
Clara believes that film can cross traditional restrictions of other mediums and break down language barriers. She is aware of the transience of events and uses film as a means to capture a moment and share it with her audiences.

Although she thinks in both languages, Clara finds it increasingly difficult to translate the difference in cultural nuances and continues to look at ways with which to bridge those gaps. She believes that, 'visual imagery can be something very complex that can cross the borders'. For her it is 'the best way to communicate.'

Influences
Not surprisingly then, Alan Rennie, together with Ingmar Bergman's highly original and visually atmospheric style of filmmaking, were two directors that were an early influence. Nowadays Clara finds it difficult to describe what in particular influences her. Though her recent film 'The Goddess of 1967' was inspired by a road trip she and her partner Eddie Fong (and the co-scriptwriter of the film) made to the Australian Outback.

'The Goddess of 1967'
In 'The Goddess of 1967', Clara Law 'wanted to explore the dark side in us.... It is a journey of discovery for a person who is physically handicapped, with another who is mentally handicapped from the inside'.

A young Japanese man travels to Australia to add to his collection of Citroen DS cars. On arrival, the vendor and his wife lay dead in their house and a 17-year-old blind girl lets him in and offers him something to eat. He walks out with horror but returns to ask about the car...

The girl shows him the car, and they then begin a 5-day voyage through the outback, with flashbacks of the early youth of the girl revealing more about her family history.

As 'a journey of liberation,' the film reflects Clara's love of the raw expanse of Australia, a place where she has found her spiritual sense of place.

The art of filmmaking
In a recent interview, Clara Law said that she thought that film was an unexplored art form, in 'The Goddess of 1967' she begins to explore that art form by filming the out