Hong Kong International Film Festival Explained

Hong Kong International Film Festival
Location:Hong Kong
Language:Multi-language (adapted movies from different countries)
Last:2024
Date:28 March to 8 April 2024
Host:HKIFF Society
Website:HKIFF
Main:Current: 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival
Previous:47th
Next:49th

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia's oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies and filmmakers from different countries, and takes place in Hong Kong.[1]

HKIFF screens around 230 films from more than 60 countries in different major cultural venues across the territory every year.[2] New films are featured as gala premieres, with the directors and cast presenting on the red carpet and meet-and-greet sessions in theatres.[3]

History

Previously operated by Urban Council and Leisure and Cultural Services Department, from 1977 to 2001, and Hong Kong Arts Development Council, from 2002 to 2004, HKIFF was officially incorporated as an independent, charitable organisation – Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited after completing its 28th edition.[4] [5] The Hong Kong SAR Government has continued to subsidise the festival through venue provision and partial funding.[6] Since 2012, HKIFF produced and premiered anthologies of short films made by well-known award winning filmmakers from Asia, such as Ann Hui, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Jia Zhangke, Brillante Mendoza, Hideo Nakata, Tsai Ming-liang, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Since 2017, HKIFF started to collaborate with Heyi Pictures to produce two feature films a year by young Chinese filmmakers that will hold their world premieres at HKIFF.[7]

Past events

!Event name!Date!Opening film(s)!Closing film(s)!Filmmaker(s) in Focus!Master Class(es)!Ambassador
HKIFF127 June - 10 July 1977Italy: Year One (dir. Roberto Rossellini)A Touch of Zen (dir. King Hu)-|-|-|-|HKIFF2|26 June - 9 July 1978|Raise Ravens (Cría Cuervos, dir. Carlos Saura)The Seagull (Il Gabbiano, dir. Marco Bellocchio)|-|-|-|-|-|HKIFF3|25 June - 8 July 1979|Raining in the Mountain (dir. King Hu)|-|-|-|-|-|HKIFF4|3 - 18 April 1980|American Gigolo (dir. Paul Schrader)|-|-|-|-|-|HKIFF5|9 - 24 April 1981|Child of the Sun (dir. Kiriro Urayama)

The Uprising (dir. Peter Lilienthal)|-|-|-|-|-|HKIFF6|1-16 April 1982|Circle of Deceit (dir. Volkor Schlondorff)Street Music (dir. Jenny Bowen)

Muddy River (dir. Kohei Oguri)|-|-|-|-|-|HKIFF7|24 March - 8 April 1983|Passion (dir. Jean-Luc Godard)Moonlighting (dir. Jerzy Skolimowski)

Son of the North East (dir. Vichit Kounavudhi)|-

-|-|-|-|HKIFF8|12-27 April 1984|The King of Comedy (dir. Martin Scorsese)Carmen (dir. Carlos Saura)

Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence (dir. Nagisa Oshima)| (dir. Jean-Luc Godard)|-

-|-|-|HKIFF9|29 March - 13 April 1985|Full Moon in Paris (dir. Eric Rohmer)Paris Texas (dir. Wim Wenders)

Mac Arthurs Children (dir. Masahiro Shinoda)|Love on the Ground (dir. Jacques Rivette)|-

-|-|-|HKIFF10|27 March - 11 April 1986|Ping Pong (dir. Leong Po-chih)Ran (dir. Akira Kurosawa)

Insignificance (dir. Nicolas Roeg)|The Insomniac on the Bridge (dir. Raúl Ruiz)|-|-|-|-|HKIFF11|10-25 April 1987|The Green Ray (dir. Eric Rohmer)To Sleep So As To Dream (dir. Kaizo Hayashi)

The Sacrifice (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)|Document: Fanny and Alexander (dir. Ingmar Bergman)

The Stand-in (dir. Huang Jianxin)|-

-|-|-|HKIFF12|31 March - 15 April 1988|Les Affaires Publiques (dir. Robert Bresson)Yeelen (dir. Souleymane Cissé)

Goodbye, Children (dir. Louis Malle)|Wings of Desire (dir. Wim Wenders)Red Sorghum (dir. Zhang Yimou)|-|-|-|-|HKIFF13|23 March - 7 April 1989|Ashik Kerib (dir. Dodo Abashidze and Sergei Parajanov)Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (dir. Pedro Almodovar)

Pellethe Conqueror (dir. Bille August)|Betrayed (dir. Costa-Gavras)|-|-|-|-|HKIFF14|6 - 21 April 1990|A Terra-Cotta Warrior (dir. Ching Siu-tung)|Song of the Exile (dir. Ann Hui)|Krzysztof KieślowskiTheo Angelopoulos

Fumio Kamei

Vasily Shukshin|-

-|-|HKIFF15|28 March - 12 April 1991| (dir. Tian Zhuangzhuang)|My American Grandson (dir. Ann Hui)|Aki KaurismäkiIdrissa Ouédraogo|-|-|-|HKIFF16|10 - 25 April 1992|Ripples Across Stagnant Water (dir. Ling Zifeng)High Heels (dir. Pedro Almodovar)|King of Chess (dirs. Yim Ho, Tsui Hark)|-|-|-|-|HKIFF17|8 - 23 April 1993|For Fun (dir. Ning Ying)Opening Night (dir. John Cassavetes)|The Wedding Banquet (dir. Ang Lee)|Abbas Kiarostami|-|-|-|HKIFF18|25 March - 9 April 1994|Three Colours: Blue (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski)| (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski)|Víctor Erice|--|-|HKIFF19|7 - 22 April 1995|In the Heat of the Sun (dir. Jiang Wen)Summer Snow (dir. Ann Hui)|One and a Half (dir. Lawrence Ah Mon)

Burnt by the Sun (dir. Nikita Mikhalkov)|Ken Loach|-|-|-|HKIFF20|25 March - 9 April 1996|Hu Du Men (dir. Shu Kei)From Dusk Till Dawn (dir. Robert Rodriguez)|The King of Masks (dir. Wu Tianming)Mahjong (dir. Edward Yang)|-

-|-|-|HKIFF21|25 March - 9 April 1997|Kitchen (dir. Yim Ho) The River (dir. Tsai Ming-liang)|The Valiant Ones (dir. King Hu)|Arturo Ripstein|-|-|-|HKIFF22|3 - 18 April 1998|Beast Cop (dir. Gordon Chan)Dragon Inn (dir. King Hu)|Sweet Degeneration (dir. Lin Cheng-sheng)

|Errol MorrisTony Gatlif|-|-|-|HKIFF23|31 March - 15 April 1999|Ordinary Heroes (dir. Ann Hui)Where a Good Man Goes (dir. Johnnie To)|Mr Zhao (dir. Lü Yue)Crazy English (dir. Zhang Yuan)|Johnnie ToKiyoshi Kurosawa

Walter Salles|-|-|-|HKIFF24|12 - 27 April 2000|Spacked Out (dir. Lawrence Ah Mon)The Million Dollar Hotel (dir. Wim Wenders)|A Chance to Die

Durian Durian (dir. Fruit Chan)|Otar Iosseliani|-

-|-|HKIFF25|6 - 21 April 2001|Penoy Pavilion (dir. Yonfan)Mortal Transfer (dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix)|Yi Yi (dir. Edward Yang)|Tony Leung Chiu-waiJean-Jacques Beineix

Darius Khondji|-|-|-|HKIFF26|27 March - 7 April 2002|Hollywood Hong Kong (dir. Fruit Chan)Heaven (dir. Tom Tykwer)|What Time is it There? (dir. Tsai Ming-liang)|Ann Hui|-

-|-|HKIFF27|8 - 23 April 2003|The Twilight Samurai (dir. Yoji Yamada)PTU (dir. Johnnie To)|Cala, My Dog! (dir. Lu Xuechang)

Adaptation (dir. Spike Jonze)|Jeffrey LauDardenne brothers

Marco Bellocchio|-

SHINE
HKIFF286 - 21 April 2004Baober in Love (dir. Li Shaohong)Jade Goddess of Mercy (dir. Ann Hui)Goodbye, Dragon Inn (dir. Tsai Ming-liang)

Not on the Lips (dir. Alain Resnais)

William ChangKim Ki-duk-|-|-|HKIFF29|22 March - 6 April 2005|Peacock (dir. Gu Changwei)The Hidden Blade (dir. Yōji Yamada)|The World (dir. Jia Zhangke)

Words in Blue (dir. Alain Corneau)|Andy Lau|-|Andy Lau|-|HKIFF30|4 - 19 April 2006|Election 2 (dir. Johnnie To)Isabella(dir. Pang Ho-cheung)|Snow Cake (dir. Marc Evans)

Candy (dir. Neil Armfield)|-

-|Andy Lau|-|HKIFF31|10 March - 11 April 2007|Eye in the Sky (dir. Yau Nai-Hoi)I am a Cyborg, but that's OK (dir. Park Chan-wook)|-Herman Yau-|-|-|HKIFF32|17 March - 6 April 2008|Kabei - Our Mother (dir. Yoji Yamada)Soul of a Demon (dir. Chang Tso-chi)|Shine a Light (dir. Martin Scorsese)

Coffee or Tea (dirs. Shu Kei, Kwan Man-hin)|Eric Tsang|-

Sammi Cheng
HKIFF3322 March - 13 April 2009Night and Fog (dir. Ann Hui)Shinjuku Incident (dir. Derek Yee)24 City (dir. Jia Zhangke)-|-|Karen Mok|-|HKIFF34|18 March - 6 April 2010|Crossing Hennessy (dir. Ivy Ho)Like a Dream (dir. Clara Law)|Amphetamine (dir. Scud)

Ex (dir. Heiward Mak)|-

-|-|-|HKIFF35|20 March - 5 April 2011|Don't Go Breaking My Heart (dirs. Johnnie To, Wai Ka-fai)Quattro Hong Kong 2 (dirs. Apichatpong Weerasethakul; Brillante Mendoza; Stanley Kwan; Ho Yuhang)|-Wai Ka-faiJia ZhangkeMiriam Yeung
HKIFF3621 March - 5 April 2012Love in the Buff (dir. Pang Ho-cheung)White Deer Plain (dir. Wang Quan'an)Peter ChanKeanu ReevesMiriam Yeung
HKIFF3717 March - 2 April 2013Ip Man - The Final Fight (dir. Herman Yau)Closed Curtain (dirs. Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi)Andrew LauWong Kar-waiMiriam Yeung
HKIFF3824 March - 7 April 2014Aberdeen (dir. Pang Ho-cheung)The Midnight After (dir. Fruit Chan)That Demon Within (dir. Dante Lam)-|-|Louis Koo|-|HKIFF39|23 March - 6 April 2015|Murmur of the Hearts (dir. Sylvia Chang)|Port of Call (dir. Philip Yung)|Sylvia Chang|Peter GreenawayMohsen Makhmalbaf

Pedro Costa|Louis Koo|-|HKIFF40|21 March - 4 April 2016|Chongqing Hot Pot (dir. Yang Qing)Trivisa (dirs. Frank Hui, Jevons Au, Vicky Wong)|Creepy (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)|-

Béla TarrLouis Koo
HKIFF4111 - 25 April 2017Love Off the Cuff (dir. Pang Ho-cheung)mon mon mon MONSTERS (dir. Giddens Ko)-|Olivier AssayasAgnieszka Holland

Ildikó Enyedi|Louis Koo|-|HKIFF42|19 March - 5 April 2018|Omotenashi (dir. Jay Chern)Xiao Mei (dir. Maren Hwang)|What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life (dir. Yamada Yoji)|Brigitte Lin|Werner HerzogTsai Ming-liang

Kazuo Hara|Louis Koo|-|HKIFF43|18 March - 1 April 2019|Bodies at Rest (dir. Renny Harlin)|By the Grace of God (dir. François Ozon)|Sammo Hung|Lee Chang-dongAsghar Farhadi

Jiang Wen|Aaron Kwok|-|HKIFF44|Cancelled |Keep Rolling (dir. Man Lim-chung)

Little Big Women (dir. Joseph Hsu)|The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (dir. Isao Yukisada)|Michael Hui|-

Aaron Kwok
HKIFF451 April - 12 April 2021Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (dir. Ann Hui, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark, and Yuen Woo-ping)

Where the Wind Blows (dir. Philip Yung), later cancelled

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)Stanley KwanAaron Kwok
HKIFF4615 August - 31 August 2022 Where the Wind Blows (dir. Philip Yung)

Warriors of Future (dir. Ng Yuen-fai)

Tori and Lokita (dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)Sandra NgAaron Kwok
HKIFF4730 March - 10 April 2023 Mad Fate (dir. Soi Cheang)Elegies (dir. Ann Hui)Vital Sign (dir. Cheuk Wan-chi)Soi CheangTsai Ming-liangAaron Kwok
HKIFF4828 March - 8 April 2024 All Shall Be Well (dir. Ray Yeung)All the Long Nights (dir. Miyake Sho)Fruit ChanVíctor EriceMartin McDonagh

Bill Plympton

Karena Lam

Competition

HKIFF Firebird Awards include three categories: Young Cinema Competition, Documentary Competition and Short Film Competition. The results are decided by three jury teams consisting of film industry professionals such as film critics, directors and film festival delegates. Besides Firebird Awards, HKIFF also established FIPRESCI Prize in HKIFF23 to recognize enterprising filmmakers and promotes young talent in Asian cinema.[8] Starting from HKIFF41, Audience Choice Award is held during the film festival when the audience members who purchased tickets and festival passes could vote for their favorite films.[9] From HKIFF43, the Young Cinema Competition was divided into "Chinese Language" and "World" sections.[10]

Event nameYoung Cinema CompetitionDocumentary CompetitionShort Film CompetitionFIPRESCI PrizeAudience Choice Award
HKIFF36Firebird Award: Song of Silence

Jury Prize: The End of Puberty

Firebird Award: Jai Bhim Comrade

Jury Prize: Back to the Square

Firebird Award: Muybridge's Strings

Jury Prize: Everyone Says I Love You

Special Mention: ORA

The Mirror Never Lies-
HKIFF37Firebird Award: In Bloom

Jury Prize: All Apologies

Special Mention: Longing for the Rain

Firebird Award: Roots

Jury Prize: Oh, the San Xia

Special Mention: Redemption Impossible

Firebird Award: Night Shift

Jury Prize: Room 606

In Bloom-
HKIFF38Firebird Award: Macondo

Jury Prize: The Tale of Iya

Special Mention: Forma

Firebird Award: My Name Is Salt

Jury Prize: The Last Moose of Aoluguya

Special Mention: Meat and Milk

Firebird Award: Butter Lamp

Jury Prize: Cold Snap

Special Mention: Symphony no.42

10 Minutes-
HKIFF39Firebird Award: Sworn Virgin

Jury Prize: K

Special Mention: The Coffin in the Mountain

Firebird Award: I am the People

Jury Prize: A Young Patriot

Firebird Award: Listen

Jury Prize: A Blue Room

K-
HKIFF40Firebird Award: Life After Life

Jury Prize: Tomcat

Firebird Award: Behemoth

Jury Prize: Under The Sun

Firebird Award: Batrachian's Ballad

Jury Prize: Prelude to the General

The Island Funeral-
HKIFF41Firebird Award: My Happy Family

Jury Prize: Newton

Firebird Award: House in the Fields

Jury Prize: Inmates

Firebird Award: Jukai

Jury Prize: Ten Mornings Ten Evenings And One Horizon

Special Mention: Everything

Happy Bus DayMad World
HKIFF42Firebird Award: Girls Always HappyJury Prize: Daughter of MineFirebird Award: Of Love & Law

Jury Prize: The Distant Barking of Dogs

Special Mention: Mama

Firebird Award: Wicked Girl

Jury Prize: The Burden

Girls Always HappyAn Elephant Sitting Still
HKIFF43Firebird Award (Chinese Language): A First FarewellFirebird Award (World): You Have the NightFirebird Award: Midnight FamilyJury Prize: AdvocateFirebird Award: All These CreaturesJury Prize: The CallThe Golden-Laden Sheep and the Sacred Mountain-
HKIFF44Firebird Award (Chinese Language): The Cloud in Her RoomFirebird Award (World): This Is Not a Burial, It's a ResurrectionFirebird Award: The Painter and the ThiefJury Prize: Once You KnowFirebird Award: Genius LociJury Prize: Heading SouthThis Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection-
HKIFF45Firebird Award (Chinese Language): The Day is OverFirebird Award (World): The WastelandFirebird Award: Mr Bachmann and His ClassJury Prize: SabayaFirebird Award: Motorcyclist's Happiness Won't Fit Into His SuitJury Prize: Vadim on a Walk

Special Mention: Blessed Winter

The Story of Southern Islet-
HKIFF46Firebird Award (Chinese Language): A New Old PlayFirebird Award (World): Mediterranean FeverFirebird Award: All That BreathesJury Prize: Children of the MistFirebird Award: BestiaJury Prize: The Bones

Special Mention: Sideral

A New Old Play-
HKIFF47Firebird Award (Chinese Language): StonewallingFirebird Award (World): TótemFirebird Award: Apolonia, Apolonia Jury Prize: The Hamlet SyndromeFirebird Award: BearJury Prize: Smoke Gets in Your EyesStonewalling-
HKIFF48Firebird Award (Chinese Language): Snow in MidsummerFirebird Award (World): SonsFirebird Award: Favoriten Jury Prize: ObedienceFirebird Award: The MeatsellerJury Prize: ShroomsA Journey in Spring

Controversy

The Longest Summer

At the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival, The Longest Summer, a film by director Fruit Chan, which touches on the topic of the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in July 1997, was originally scheduled to be screened on 2 February 2024. However, the screening was abruptly cancelled after the organizer said they were unable to locate suitable copies for screening. [11]

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. News: Hong Kong themes give hometown heroes an on-screen presence at HKIFF. South China Morning Post. 2018-06-19. en.
  2. News: Mainland offers Hong Kong's film industry a brighter future. South China Morning Post. 2018-06-19. en.
  3. News: Hong Kong Film Festival 2018 preview. Screen. 2018-06-19. en.
  4. News: Gov't to let go of Hong Kong fest. Adler. Carlye. 2003-12-03. Variety. 2018-06-19. en-US.
  5. Web site: New subvention arrangement for Hong Kong International Film Festival Society announced. www.info.gov.hk. 2018-06-19.
  6. Web site: Update on the Work of Create Hong Kong. Legislative Council, Hong Kong SAR Government. 19 June 2018.
  7. Web site: Billboard Radio China - The 42nd Hong Kong International Film Festival Kicks Off. www.billboardradiochina.com. 2018-06-19. 2018-06-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20180619085935/http://www.billboardradiochina.com/story/2018-03-20The-42nd-Hong-Kong-International-Film-Festival-Kicks-Off-en. dead.
  8. News: HKIFF closes with gifts and Greenaway. 2015-04-06. SCREENZ. 2018-06-19. en-GB.
  9. Web site: HKIFF41 honors filmmakers with awards of five competition sections and the Audience Choice Award. www.filmfestivals.com. en. 2018-06-19.
  10. Web site: HKIFF43 Winners of Firebird Awards Announced at Gala . HKIFF . 9 September 2019.
  11. Web site: 國際電影節突取消放映《去年煙花特別多》 陳果感可惜：咩都可以發生 (21:01) - 20240309 - 港聞 . 2024-10-28 . 明報新聞網 - 即時新聞 instant news . zh-hant.

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