Although it was a domestic critical and box-office success and has since come to be regarded as a preeminent example of the Hong Kong New Wave, BOAT PEOPLE was initially given a mixed critical reception abroad. Its international premiere at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival was fraught with controversy: in alignment with France’s political allegiance to the Vietnamese government, and under mounting pressure from left-wing sympathizers and protesters, the festival unexpectedly took the film out of the competition lineup before its first screening. This press conference footage is a historical document of the initial misunderstandings and controversies that surrounded the film overseas, and of director Ann Hui and actor George Lam’s spirited defense of their work.