Armed with the sharp wit of a gay man and the efficiency of a lesbian, Wouter Barendrecht was the ideal person to approach when I wanted to revive the HKLGFF in 1999. Hong Kong was in a depression at the time, far worse than it is today. The Arts Centre had lost a lot of their financial sponsors and, after Edward Lam, the festival director from ‘89 – ‘98 retired, they no longer wanted to run the HKLGFF. We were told that, if we wanted to restart the festival at the Arts Centre, we would need to come up with some cold hard cash!
So immediately Wouter and I started fund-raising. Wouter used his reputation to gain credibility for the festival. He enlisted the support of the “Who’s Who” of Hong Kong’s film industry: Shu Kei, Stanley Kwan, Chris Doyle and Fortissimo partner, Michael Werner. With these names on our list, we were able to get donations from Agnes b and G.O.D. Soon afterwards, Rice Bar and Club Propaganda joined forces to host the parties. Wouter’s connection with international distributors and filmmakers enabled the Festival to secure films at low rental fees and sometimes for free. We partnered with AIDS Concern, and were exempted from the censorship board. Finally in 2000, the new HKLGFF was resurrected!
It was tough work but it was also a lot of fun at the same time. Were it not for Wouter, I don’t think the festival would have re-started so smoothly. He was basically the lubricant for the entire event. In fact, Wouter always played that role in life. His presence seemed to make any sticky situation easier, more fun and joyful. He was charming, funny and “ba-gua”. He would know everybody in a gay bar, from the barman to the cleaning lady. He spoke to everyone, sometimes with a sexual agenda (cleaning lady exempt!) but most of the time it was purely out of friendliness and the desire to connect with people.
With his passing, the festival has lost its Executive Director, a leader who was not only a global authority on Gay and Lesbian films, but who also had connections to the international film world. He was a man whose lifelong desire was to push the course of LGBT equality rights. There were plenty of occasions when Wouter would be infuriated, arguing over sexual discrimination in Hong Kong, He was riled by the the fact that so many people could not come out to their families and that many lovers have to break up because one of the partners had to keep the relationship a secret. It was at these moments that you saw past the friendly and carefree veneer to a guy who was deeply passionate about life and love.
Personally, I have lost not only a very dear friend but a comrade in all aspects. We met in 1997, aptly enough at the screening of “Happy Together’ in Cannes. Wouter was the sales agent for “Happy Together”, I was there as a guest of a good friend who had worked on the film. We walked on the red carpet, with the likes of Wong Kar Wai, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Ang Lee. As we approached the screening hall, Wouter was the one who came up to say hello to me. I was not a celebrity but he took the time to see where I was sitting and made sure I knew where the after party was held and he wasn’t even trying to pick me up! He was just a considerate and caring person. That was how Wouter was. It didn’t matter who you are, Wouter genuinely liked people and was always generous and giving with his friendship, connections and time.
I hope that the HKLGFF will carry on forever. This would be Wouter’s legacy, and what he worked so hard to establish. It should be treasured and cherished. As Wouter always used to say: “You don’t have to be gay to enjoy a gay movie!” So bring your brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, share the popcorn and enjoy your stories on the silver screen!
Ray Yeung
Presented by 
