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Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017
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September 5-10
Formula Kino Horizon 
 The Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) celebrates the 20th anniversary of the establishment in 2017. In this occasion the HKSAR Government takes great pleasure in presenting a number of specially curated film programmes on Hong Kong cinema in 10 cities across Europe, North America and South Korea, in addition to four cities in Mainland and in Hong Kong. Such programming is particularly significant as the past two decades have seen major changes in Hong Kong cinema, brought about by digital evolution and related technological advancement, regional financial shifts and market changes, and by a new generation of Hong Kong young filmmakers and audience exploring the boundaries of cinema since their teenage days. For the cinephiles, there have been many tides of changes not seen before.
If pre-1997 Hong Kong cinema excelled in its genre diversity and auteur elements wrapped in easily approachable and exportable commercialism, the post-1997 Hong Kong cinema has built on its past legacies with an increasingly personal style of filmmaking by established talents from the 1980s and early 1990s. Added to them is an entourage of fresh talents emerging from the new millennium to rework or subvert the older traditions, in Hong Kong and in Mainland. For Hong Kong cinema, two generations of filmmakers are converging and expanding in its creativity in 2017.
Against such background, we present “Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997 – 2017”. In doing so, our heartfelt thanks go to the various film organisations in the featured cities for the film programmes, our Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society for its tremendous efforts as project manager in making these film programmes a reality (Jerry Liu, Head of Create Hong Kong).
Pang Ho-cheung (Director, writer) had his debut as a director and screenwriter with feature film You Shoot, I Shoot in 2001. His second film Men Suddenly In Black brought Pang the Best New Director at the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2006, he was awarded the Berlin Silver Bear with his fifth film Isabella. Exodus, his sixth production, took the Best Cinematography in the San Sebastian Film Festival the following year. In 2012, Pang had his biggest domestic box office success yet, with a pair of award-winning, critically acclaimed films: romantic comedy Love In The Buff and Vulgaria, which was described by the well-known British commentator, Tony Rayns, in film magazine Sight and Sound, as “a minor classic”. In 2014, the established British Film Institute selected two of Pang’s films, Dream Home and Vulgaria, to add to their list of “Ten Great Films Set in Hong Kong”. In 2015, Aberdeen had seven nominations in the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Screenplay; while Women Who Flirt, which gained over 200 million RMB in box office, was nominated for Best Actress in the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2015, Pang was invited to be the President of Jury for the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) 2015 International Competition, leading the Jury team which included Japanese actress Takeda Rina and Korean actress Yoon Jin-seo. In 2017, Love Off the Cuff, the final installment of the Love in a Puff series, has recorded a total of over 200 million RMB in worldwide box office in just three weeks. As producer, Pang’s credits include Derek Kwok and Jimmy Wan’s 2010 Busan New Currents Competition entry Lover’s Discourse and 2012 Lacuna, 2013 box office hit SDU: Sex Duties Unit by Gary Mak, Luk Yee-sum’s 2015 Lazy Hazy Crazy and, in 2016, the English feature Apprentice. Pang has also been invited to produce various Hollywood productions, including the recently completed Border Crossing, Never Here, and Dismissed.
Subi Liang is a veteran producer with a background in media and visual arts. She studied in the UK, France and at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where she earned her Fine Arts degree. Upon her return to Hong Kong, she worked in media before beginning her film career in production administration and film distribution. Liang began working as producer on director Pang Ho-cheung's 2006 Silver Berlin Bear winner Isabella. In 2007, she produced Exodus, which won the Silver Shell for Best Cinematography at the 55th San Sebastian Film Festival. In 2010, she produced the short online film series Four-Night Tales, which garnered up to 400 million click-throughs within two months and broke records for a Chinese short online film at the time. Another film she produced in the same year, Love in a Puff, was selected as one of the “The 100 Greatest Hong Kong Films” by Time Out magazine. Dream Home (2010) and Vulgaria (2012) both won over ten awards at various international film festivals and were selected as two of the “Best 10 Hong Kong Films” by the British Film Institute. Produced in 2012, Love in the Buff generated 100 million RMB in Hong Kong and China box office. In 2014, she produced Pang's Aberdeen, which garnered seven Hong Kong Film Awards nominations including for Best Picture, as well as Women Who Flirt, which grossed over 230 million RMB at the China box office and received the Best Actress Nomination at the Hong Kong Film Award. In 2017, Love off the Cuff, the final installment of the Love in a Puff series, has recorded a total of over 200 million RMB in worldwide box office in just three weeks upon its release. In recent years, Liang has participated as a producer on international co-productions such as the horror film Never Here, directed by Camille Thoman and starring Mireille Enos of World War Z; a Singapore-French-German co-production Apprentice directed by Boo Junfeng, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In 2016, Liang-produced Dog Days was presented in the Panorama section of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.
Films:
Chun kiu gau chi ming. Comedy/Romance. China, Hong Kong 2017, 121 min. Directed by Pang Ho-cheung. Starring: Shawn Yue, Miriam Chin Wah Yeung, Shiga Lin. In Cantonese, Mandarin with Russian subtitles. In 2010, Jimmy and Cherie fell in love in the back alleys of Hong Kong. In 2012, they each found a new love in a new city, but they ultimately chose to stay together. In 2017, Cherie and Jimmy will brave the stormy seas and save their relationship. Can Cherie and Jimmy overcome their seven-year itch? The path to finding out the answer is filled with laughs and tears.
Chi ming yu chun kiu. Comedy/Drama/Romance. Hong Kong 2010, 104 min. Directed by Pang Ho-cheung. Starring: Miriam Chin Wah Yeung, Shawn Yue, Singh Hartihan Bitto. In Cantonese with Russian subtitles. Since 2007, the Hong Kong health authorities have implemented an anti-smoking law that bans people from smoking in all indoor areas, including offices, restaurants, bars, and karaoke lounges. Office smokers now have to take their cigarette breaks on the streets outside, which has led to groups of smokers from the same building bonding together in cliques known as "hot pot packs." In an alley packed with loudmouth co-workers spreading the daily gossip, Jimmy, a mild-mannered advertising executive, meets cosmetics salesgirl Cherie. An awkward flirtation ensues amidst their afternoon nicotine rush. As their mutual infatuation intensifies, the couple moves farther and farther away from the rest of the "hot pot pack" into their own private alley, where they have conversations of unexpected emotional depth. As smoke gets in their eyes, one thing leads to another. Awards: Hong Kong Award - Best Screenplay; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award - Best Film.
Tou ze. Drama. Hong Kong 2011, 118 min. Directed by Ann Hui. Starring: Andy Lau, Deannie Yip, Hailu Qin. In Cantonese, Mandarin with Russian subtitles. After suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home. Awards: Venice Film Festival - Volpi Cup for Best Actress, SIGNIS Award, Equal Opportunities Award, Gianni Astrei Award, Nazareno Taddei Award; Asian Film Award - Best Actress, Audience Award; Hong Kong Film Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award - Best Film, Best Actress; Golden Horse Award - Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor; Tallinn International Film Festival - Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Special Jury Prize; Palm Springs International Film Festival - Audience Award (2nd Place); Shanghai Film Critics Society Award - Best Film, Best Director; China Film Award - Best Actress; Durban International Film Festival - Best Actress; etc.
Hua li shang ban zu. Comedy/Drama/Musical. China, Hong Kong 2015, 119 min. Directed by Johnnie To. Starring: Sylvia Chang, Chow Yun-Fat, Eason Chan. In Cantonese, Mandarin with Russian subtitles. A musical set mainly in a corporate high-rise. Two assistants, Lee Xiang and Kat, start new jobs at the financial firm Jones & Sunn. Lee Xiang is an earnest young man who naively enters the world of high finance with noble intentions. Kat on the other hand has a secret. Awards: Hong Kong Film Award - Best Score, Best Production Design; Golden Horse Award - Best Productin Design.
Gon fu. Action/Comedy. China, Hong Kong 2004, 99 min. Directed by Stephen Chow. Starring: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen. In Cantonese with Russian subtitles. Set in Shanghai, China in the 1930s, the story revolves in a town ruled by the Axe Gang, and Sing who desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turns out to be the greatest kung-fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung-fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung-fu master of all. Awards: Golden Globe Award Nomination - Best Foreign Language Film; BAFTA Award Nomination - Best Foreign Language Film; Sattellite Award Nomination - Best Comedy/Musical, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects; Hong Kong Film Award - Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Fight Direction, Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects; Golden Horse Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Visual Effects, Best Hair and Make-up; Amsterdam International Film Festival - Silver Scream Award.
Mou gaan dou. Mystery/Thriller. Hong Kong 2002, 101 min. Directed by Andrew Lau, Alan Mak. Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Anthony Wong. In Cantonese, English, Thai with Russian subtitles. Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst. Awards: Hong Kong Film Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Song; Golden Horse Award - Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Effects; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award - Best Film, Best Actor; Blue Ribbon Award - Best Foreign Language Film; Udine Far East Film Festival - Audience Award.
Di Renjie: Shen du long wang. Action/Adventure. China 2013, 134 min. Directed by Tsui Hark. Starring: Carina Lau, Chien Sheng, Mark Chao. In Mandarin with Russian subtitles. From legendary action director Tsui Hark and the creators of international smash hit Detective Dee - Mystery Of The Phantom Flame comes the captivating tale of Dee Renjie's beginnings in the Imperial police force. His very first case, investigating reports of a sea monster terrorizing the town, reveals a sinister conspiracy of treachery and betrayal, leading to the highest reaches of the Imperial family. Awards: Hong Kong Film Award Nomination - Best Supporting Actress, Best Young Actor, Best Production Design, Best Costumes and Make-up, Best Score, Best Fight Direction, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects; Asian Film Award Nomination - Best Production design, Best Costumes, Best Visual Effects.
Heung Gong jai jo. Drama/Crime/Comedy. Hong Kong 1997, 108 min. Directed by Fruit Chan. Starring: Sam Lee, Neiky Hui-Chi Yim, Wenders Li. In Cantonese with Russian subtitles. Autumn Moon, a low-rent triad living in Hong Kong, struggles to find meaning in his hopelessly violent existence. Awards: Locarno International Film Festival - Swissair Special Award; Hong Kong Film Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Young Actor; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award - Best Film, Best Director; Jijon International Film Festival - Grand Prix, Best Screenplay; Nantes Three Continents Film Festival - Golden Mongolphier Award, Young Audience award; Busan International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize; Vancouver International Film Festival - participation.
Schedule:
5 September, Tuesday
19:30 Chun kiu gau chi ming; Q&A with Subi Lang, Q&A with Pang Ho-cheung. Registration
6 September, Wednesday
20:30 Chi ming yu chun kiu; Q&A with Subi Lang, Q&A with Pang Ho-cheung. Registration
7 September, Thursday
19:30 Tou ze. Registration
8 September, Friday
19:30 Hua li shang ban zu. Registration
9 September, Saturday
17:00 Gon fu. Registration
19:00 Mou gaan dou. Registration
10 September, Sunday
13:00 Di Renjie: Shen du long wang. Registration
17:00 Heung Gong jai jo. Registration
More info
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