[NEWS] Johnnie To: It took years to find artistic balance

(10-09) 06:28 PDT BUSAN, South Korea (AP) --

Johnnie To says it took him years to find the right balance between art and commerce, as the Hong Kong director known for his stylish gangster thrillers reviewed his 30-plus year career at one of Asia's top film festivals.

Speaking at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea on Friday, To traced his personal history back to his first job as a 17-year-old messenger at leading Hong Kong broadcaster TVB.

The 54-year-old filmmaker said he became disillusioned with Hong Kong's star-driven system in the early 1990s, and after making a series of commercial films, he decided to carve his own path by founding his now famed production company, Milkyway Image, in 1996 with fellow director Wai Ka-fai.