Benson Koo
Also known as 古本森
Benson Koo (古本森) is a Hong Kong visual artist, independent film director, and bassist for the band eli (everlasting illusion). He has directed several independent short films, including “Cinema Quietude” (2021), which was shot at the abandoned Cheung Chau Theatre and screened more than twenty times in the adjacent, now-derelict soy sauce factory building. During the pandemic in 2020, he initiated the “Doomsday Phone booth” art project, collecting last words online and turning them into a video series. His first feature film, “The Perks of Being Wild” (2024), broke conventions in filming, production, distribution, promotion, and screening, presenting moving screenings across various Hong Kong communities, such as beachside kiosks, building rooftops, cafés, cha chaan tengs, stationery shops, bookstores, and dessert parlours. Through these efforts, he sought to encourage the public to reflect on the relationship between cinema and public space.