This article presents a wide-ranging interview with Hong Kong director Soi Cheang, one of the region's latest exponents of mainstream film-making. Cheang here discusses his apprenticeship under veteran directors Johnnie To and Ringo Lam; he elucidates the activities of casting, financing and collaboration; he describes the inception and production of key films such as Dog Bite Dog; he considers his films' relation to Hong Kong culture and society; and he illuminates his engagement with the parameters of film style. The interview is prefaced by an analytical overview of Cheang's authorial practices and preoccupations.