Q&A;: Alan Mak

Martin Scorsese's The Departed, which last week won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, is an adaptation of Infernal Affairs, the 2002 Hong Kong thriller about triad gangs and police moles. Alan Mak, who co-wrote and co-directed Infernal Affairs, spoke with TIME's Peter Ritter about Scorsese, cops, and what should have won.

What gave you the idea for Infernal Affairs?
My father and brother are both policemen. When I was small, my father told me stories about moles inside the triads, and what happened to them.

How did you feel when you...