Hong Kong International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF, Chinese
: 香港國際電影節) is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community. The festival is committed to discovering talent, and it is also a major platform to launch films to the Greater China
region and Asian market.
from 1977 to 2001, and Hong Kong Arts Development Council from 2002 to 2004, HKIFF is officially corporatized as an independent, charitable organization – Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited, after completing its 28th edition. The Hong Kong Government has continued to subsidize the festival through venue provision and funding for up to 7 million Hong Kong dollar
s.
, the 33rd HKIFF reached an audience of 580,000 people, including 4,500 business executives who attended the Hong Kong Film and Television Market (FILMART). The 34th HKIFF was held from March 21 to April 6, 2010, the last film to be shown being the Hong Kong-made film
Amphetamine
.
New films are featured as gala premieres, with the directors and cast presenting on the red carpet
, and inside the cinema, to greet the audience. The Festival draws over 300 global members of the press and is 33 years old.
As for the awards, there are five categories, decided by juries consisting of film industry professionals such as film critics
, directors and film festival delegates.
dedicated to the discovery and promotion of creativity in the art and culture of film
. Through its year-round programs, the mission of the Society is to strengthen global appreciation of Chinese film culture and to promote good films from around the world, enriching the cultural life of Hong Kong
.
Committed to the development of a vibrant film culture in Hong Kong and Asia, the Society organizes three annual flagship events in March and April: the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), and the Asian Film Awards
(AFA).
The HKIFFS is devoted to giving thousands of film lovers around the region direct access to the world's most inspired filmmakers year round.
Number of screenings: 518
Number of films: 338
Number of countries/Regions represented: 50
Number of world premieres: 19
Number of international premieres: 17
Number of Asian premieres: 33
Number of Meet-the-Audience sessions: 122
Festival audience reach: 580,000+
Number of local & overseas press: 300+
2. Competitions
3. Masters & Auteurs
4. Pan-Chinese Cinema
5. World Cinema
6. Documentaries
7. Platforms
8. Focus
9. Tributes
10. Associate Programmes
Guests from the Greater China:
Derek Yee
, Jackie Chan
, Daniel Wu
, Fan Bingbing, Xu Jinglei
, Ann Hui
, Simon Yam
, Zhang Jingchu
, Wong Kar Wai
, Tony Leung
, Carina Lau
, Charlie Yeung
, Andrew Lau
Wai-keung, Tsui Hark
, Nansun Shi
, Kenny Bee
, Sylvia Cheung, Brigitte Lin
, John Woo
, Dante Lam
, Huang Xiaoming
, Richie Jen, Karen Mok
, Jan Lamb
, Kelly Chen
, Jia Zhangke
, Sandrine Pinna, Cheng Yu-chieh, Eric Tsang
, Donnie Yen
, Angelica Lee
, Johnnie To
, Sean Lau
, Benny Chan.
Foreign Guests:
W. Director Oliver Stone
, The Yellow Handkerchief Producer Arthur Cohn
, Actor William Hurt
, Monsters Vs. Aliens Voice-over Actor Kiefer Sutherland
, DreamWorks
Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg
, I’ve Loved You So Long Director Philippe Claudel, Four Nights with Anna Director Jerzy Skolimowski
, Bergman Island Director Marie Nyrerod.
performances, parties celebrating the festival and more.
Networking Events held at the W Hong Kong:
The HKIFF Society Welcome Luncheon was held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
publications have always been a notable hallmark of the HKIFF. This year, four publications were published during the 33rd HKIFF: The 33rd HKIFF Main Catalogue, A Tribute to Romantic Visions: 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop, Ingmar Bergman Forever, and Defining Modernity: Michelangelo Antonioni.
, India, UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Republic
, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Russia and Egypt.
During the period, two pre-festival press conferences
, 17 press junkets and more than 200 press interviews were arranged for local and overseas media.
In the mainland, a film that has not received documentation is unauthorized, and therefore does not officially exist. Labeling such a film as “from China” offends the Chinese Government.
When the HKIFF ran these films, the Chinese government would retract them. They would blame it on the improper procedures taken by HKIFF but say nothing of the film content. The HKIFF has found a way to go around this.
Unauthorized films can still be part of the HKIFF program, thanks to creative classification. Since the 2003 incident, the HKIFF no longer classified Chinese language films by their countries of origin. They began to label mainland Chinese films "Putonghua", Taiwanese films "Mandarin" and Singaporean films "Mandarin". They have had no trouble since.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 香港國際電影節) is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community. The festival is committed to discovering talent, and it is also a major platform to launch films to the Greater China
Greater China
Greater China is a term used to refer to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. As a "phrase of the moment", the precise meaning is not entirely clear, and people may use it for only the commercial ties, only the cultural actions, or even as a euphemism for the Two Chinas, while others may...
region and Asian market.
History
Previously operated by Urban Council and Leisure and Cultural Services DepartmentLeisure and Cultural Services Department
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department , often abbreviated as LCSD, is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Home Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs. It provides leisure and cultural activities for the people of Hong Kong, which was also one of...
from 1977 to 2001, and Hong Kong Arts Development Council from 2002 to 2004, HKIFF is officially corporatized as an independent, charitable organization – Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited, after completing its 28th edition. The Hong Kong Government has continued to subsidize the festival through venue provision and funding for up to 7 million Hong Kong dollar
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s.
The Festival
Screening over 300 titles from 50 countries in 11 theatres across Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the 33rd HKIFF reached an audience of 580,000 people, including 4,500 business executives who attended the Hong Kong Film and Television Market (FILMART). The 34th HKIFF was held from March 21 to April 6, 2010, the last film to be shown being the Hong Kong-made film
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
Amphetamine
Amphetamine (2009 film)
Amphetamine is a 2010 Hong Kong film starring Byron Pang and Thomas Price. It revolves around the story of a Chinese fitness trainer, Kafka, who meets Daniel, a business executive. The film is directed by acclaimed Hong Kong Chinese film-maker Scud, the stage name of Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung. It was...
.
New films are featured as gala premieres, with the directors and cast presenting on the red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
, and inside the cinema, to greet the audience. The Festival draws over 300 global members of the press and is 33 years old.
As for the awards, there are five categories, decided by juries consisting of film industry professionals such as film critics
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
, directors and film festival delegates.
- Asian Digital Competition
- Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries
- FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Awards - SIGNISSIGNISSIGNIS is a Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement for professionals in the communication media, including radio, television, cinema, video, media education, Internet and new technology. It is a non-profit organization with representation from over 140 countries...
Awards - The Fresh Wave Short Film Competition
About the organizer
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) is a charitable, non-profit, non-government organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
dedicated to the discovery and promotion of creativity in the art and culture of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. Through its year-round programs, the mission of the Society is to strengthen global appreciation of Chinese film culture and to promote good films from around the world, enriching the cultural life of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Committed to the development of a vibrant film culture in Hong Kong and Asia, the Society organizes three annual flagship events in March and April: the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), and the Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
(AFA).
The HKIFFS is devoted to giving thousands of film lovers around the region direct access to the world's most inspired filmmakers year round.
Screening Venues
- Hong Kong Cultural CentreHong Kong Cultural CentreThe Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a multipurpose performance facility in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was founded by the former Urban Council and, after 2000, is administered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government...
- Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreHong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreThe Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld-Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbour, it is linked by covered walkways to nearby hotels and commercial...
- Hong Kong City HallCity Hall, Hong KongThe Hong Kong City Hall is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.Since Hong Kong does not designate itself or any part of itself as a city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the City Hall does not hold the offices of a city government, unlike most...
- Hong Kong Film ArchiveHong Kong Film ArchiveHong Kong Film Archive is located at 50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong .It was opened in January 2001 and it is now under the management of Leisure and Cultural Service Department...
- Hong Kong Science MuseumHong Kong Science MuseumThe Hong Kong Science Museum is a science-themed museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong, located next to the Hong Kong Museum of History.The museum has a DC3 airliner suspended from the ceiling....
- Hong Kong Space MuseumHong Kong Space MuseumThe Hong Kong Space Museum is a museum of astronomy and space science in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government.-History:...
- Hong Kong Arts CentreHong Kong Arts CentreEstablished in 1977, Hong Kong Arts Centre is a non-profit making, non-governmental and self-financed statutory arts organization, aiming at promoting contemporary performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts and providing lifelong and wide-reaching arts education.The Centre provides...
- UA Times SquareTimes Square (Hong Kong)Times Square is a major shopping centre and office tower complex in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.The complex, owned by Wharf Properties Limited, part of The Wharf Limited group, was opened in April 1994.-History:...
- UA CityplazaCityplazaCityplaza , located in Taikoo Shing in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, is one of the shopping malls operated by Swire Properties . The mall forms the Island East development with Taikoo Shing and Taikoo Place. The mall has a total of six floors. There are also three large commercial...
- UA Langham Place
- The Grand CinemaThe Grand CinemaThe Grand Cinema is a cinema complex in Hong Kong. It is located in the Elements Mall at Kowloon MTR station. Opened in 2007 with 12 screens and 1,600 seats, it is Hong Kong's largest multiplex cinema. It has an "active", "infrasonic" sound system. It has become a notable venue for independent...
2009 Festival
StatisticsNumber of screenings: 518
Number of films: 338
Number of countries/Regions represented: 50
Number of world premieres: 19
Number of international premieres: 17
Number of Asian premieres: 33
Number of Meet-the-Audience sessions: 122
Festival audience reach: 580,000+
Number of local & overseas press: 300+
The 33rd HKIFF Red Carpet Premieres
| Type | Film | Director | Country of origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Film | The Shinjuku Incident Shinjuku Incident Shinjuku Incident is a 2009 Hong Kong action crime drama film written and directed by Derek Yee, and also produced by and starring Jackie Chan... World Premiere |
Derek Yee Derek Yee Derek Yee Tung-sing , born in 1957, is a former Shaw Brothers actor from Hong Kong, currently a film director and screenwriter, who has achieved fame and respect in Hong Kong and international film festival circuits for treading carefully commercial viability concerns with artistic integrity... |
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
| Opening Film | Night and Fog Night and Fog (2009 film) Night and Fog is a 2009 Hong Kong film directed by Ann Hui. Based on a murder case that happened in Tin Shui Wai in 2004, the film attempts to raise awareness of some issues related to new immigrants in Hong Kong. The film stars Simon Yam and Zhang Jingchu who play the couple... World Premiere |
Ann Hui Ann Hui Ann Hui On-Wah is a Hong Kong film director, film producer and occasional screenwriter, one of the most critically acclaimed amongst the Hong Kong New Wave.-Early life:... |
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
| Gala Premiere | The Yellow Handkerchief The Yellow Handkerchief is a 1977 Japanese film directed by Yoji Yamada. It was the winner of the first Best Picture award at the Japan Academy Prize.-Cast:* Ken Takakura: Yusaku Shima* Chieko Baisho: Mitsue Shima* Tetsuya Takeda: Kinya Hanada* Kaori Momoi: Akemi Ogawa* Hachirō Tako... |
Yoji Yamada Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy .... |
Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
| French Night Gala Premiere | French:Il y a longtemps que je t'aime I've Loved You So Long I've Loved You So Long is a 2008 French-language drama film written and directed by Philippe Claudel. It tells the story of a woman struggling to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.-Plot:... |
Philippe Claudel Philippe Claudel Philippe Claudel , is a French writer and film director.Claudel was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle. In addition to his writing, Claudel is a Professor of Literature at the University of Nancy.... |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
| Gala Premiere | The Sniper | Dante Lam Dante Lam Dante Lam Chiu-Yin is a Hong Kong film director, an assistant director, actor, producer, writer, and action choreographer. In 2008 he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director for his work on Beast Stalker.-Director:* Option Zero... |
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
| Gala Premiere | Monsters vs. Aliens Monsters vs. Aliens Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D science fiction film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures... |
Conrad Vernon Conrad Vernon Conrad Vernon IV is an American director, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the DreamWorks animated films Shrek 2 and Monsters vs... , Rob Letterman Rob Letterman Rob Letterman is an American film director who started with animation and moved on to live-action.Before Letterman's filmic subjects took him into outer space with Monsters vs... |
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Gala Premiere | W. W. (film) W. is a 2008 American film based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It was produced and directed by Oliver Stone, written by Stanley Weiser, and stars Josh Brolin as Bush, with a cast that includes Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Scott... |
Oliver Stone Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on... |
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Gala Premiere | Ashes of Time Ashes of Time -Critical:When the film opened in Hong Kong it received mixed reviews. Critics found it so elliptical that it was almost impossible to make out any semblance of a plot, something very rare in a wuxia film.... Redux |
Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046... |
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
| Awards Gala Presentation | Yang Yang | Cheng Yu-Chieh | Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
Programme Section of the 33rd HKIFF
1. Galas- • Opening Films
- • Awards Gala
- • Gala Premieres
- • Closing Films
- • Gala Presentation
2. Competitions
- • Asian Digital Competition
- • Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries
- • The 4th Fresh Wave Short Film Competition
3. Masters & Auteurs
- • Master Class
- • Auteurs
4. Pan-Chinese Cinema
- • Hong Kong Panorama 2008-2009
- • Chinese Renaissance
- • Young Taiwanese Cinema
5. World Cinema
- • Global Vision
6. Documentaries
- • Reality Bites
- • Filmmakers and Filmmaking
7. Platforms
- • I See It My Way
- • Indie Power
- • Midnight Heat
- • The Avant Garde
- • Archival Treasures
- • Animation Unlimited
8. Focus
- • A Tribute to Romantic Visions: 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop
- • Italian Landscape 2008
- • Finnish New Talents
9. Tributes
- • The Pathos of Things: Ichikawa Jun
- • The Sense of Sight: Hans Richter
- • Defining Modernity – Michelangelo AntonioniMichelangelo AntonioniMichelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
- • Ingmar BergmanIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
Forever Part III - • The Realist Dao of Yu Hyun-mokYu Hyun-mokYu Hyun-mok was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, North Hwanghae, Korea , he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo...
- • In the Name of Love: The Films of Evan Yang
10. Associate Programmes
- • Between Public and Private: A Space for Independent Chinese Cinema
- • The Devil’s Playground: Joint Universities Programme
- • The 14th IFVA Awards Showcase
Filmmakers and other distinguished guests
The HKIFF is embraced by local and international directors and distinguished guests every year. Here's who attended in 2009:Guests from the Greater China:
Derek Yee
Derek Yee
Derek Yee Tung-sing , born in 1957, is a former Shaw Brothers actor from Hong Kong, currently a film director and screenwriter, who has achieved fame and respect in Hong Kong and international film festival circuits for treading carefully commercial viability concerns with artistic integrity...
, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
, Fan Bingbing, Xu Jinglei
Xu Jinglei
Xu Jinglei is an actress, director and editor most famous in her native mainland China. Xu graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1997. Along with Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi, the mainland Chinese media considers her a member of the Four Young Dan actresses...
, Ann Hui
Ann Hui
Ann Hui On-Wah is a Hong Kong film director, film producer and occasional screenwriter, one of the most critically acclaimed amongst the Hong Kong New Wave.-Early life:...
, Simon Yam
Simon Yam
Simon Yam Tat-Wah , born March 19, 1955, is a Hong Kong actor and film producer.-Background:The son of a former police officer of Shangdong heritage, his father was a Hong Kong Royal Police ship captain who was murdered by his colleague....
, Zhang Jingchu
Zhang Jingchu
Zhang Jingchu is a Chinese film actress. She graduated in Directing at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.Zhang was brought up in a middle-working class family in the countryside...
, Wong Kar Wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
, Tony Leung
Tony Leung
Tony Leung may refer to:* Tony Leung Chiu-Wai , Hong Kong actor known as "Little Tony"* Tony Leung Ka-fai , Hong Kong actor known as "Big Tony"* Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Hong Kong movie action choreographer, stuntman, actor and director...
, Carina Lau
Carina Lau
Carina Lau Kar-ling is a Hong Kong actress. She was especially notable in the 1980s for her girl-next-door type roles in films....
, Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei, sometimes spelled Charlie Young, is a Chinese film actress and singer. She was first noticed after appearing in a jewellery commercial with Aaron Kwok...
, Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
Wai-keung, Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, Nansun Shi
Nansun Shi
Nansun Shi, born Shi Nan-Sun , is a Hong Kong film producer, presenter and a former Senior Advisor for Media Asia Group. She has been in the film industry for nearly thirty years, and has contributed a lot to the Hong Kong cinema scene since the late 1970s...
, Kenny Bee
Kenny Bee
Chung Chun-to , better known as Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is well-known as a member of the Hong Kong English pop and cantopop band the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for nearly three decades.-Career:Bee made...
, Sylvia Cheung, Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
, John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
, Dante Lam
Dante Lam
Dante Lam Chiu-Yin is a Hong Kong film director, an assistant director, actor, producer, writer, and action choreographer. In 2008 he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director for his work on Beast Stalker.-Director:* Option Zero...
, Huang Xiaoming
Huang Xiaoming
Huang Xiaoming is a mainland Chinese actor, singer, and model. He is often referred to as China's "number one heartthrob" or "number one young male"...
, Richie Jen, Karen Mok
Karen Mok
Karen Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
, Jan Lamb
Jan Lamb
Jan Lamb Hoi Fong is a DJ, pop singer, actor in Hong Kong. Jan is the elder brother of actor/DJ/game host Jerry and younger brother of singer and radio personality Sandy...
, Kelly Chen
Kelly Chen
Kelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Kelly has also been known as a diva in Asia. She has a great success in Asia Entertainment industry with nearly 20 million record sales of 38 albums...
, Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan....
, Sandrine Pinna, Cheng Yu-chieh, Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...
, Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
, Angelica Lee
Angelica Lee
Angelica Lee Sin-Jie is a Malaysian Chinese film actress and pop singer. She started her career in singing and later moved on to acting in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lee starred in The Eye, the hit Asian horror film by the Pang Brothers, winning her the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, Best Actress...
, Johnnie To
Johnnie To
Johnnie To Kei-Fung, born 22 April 1955, is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas...
, Sean Lau
Lau Ching-Wan
Sean Lau Ching-Wan is a Hong Kong Film Award–winning and Golden Bauhinia Award–winning film and former television actor based in Hong Kong.Lau was born in Hong Kong in 1964. He joined the TVB acting classes in 1983 and made his first appearance on TV the following year with TV drama Draw Out the...
, Benny Chan.
Foreign Guests:
W. Director Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, The Yellow Handkerchief Producer Arthur Cohn
Arthur Cohn
Arthur Cohn is a film producer.Six of his films have won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and he was awarded the Guardian of Zion Award in 2004...
, Actor William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
, Monsters Vs. Aliens Voice-over Actor Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
, DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg is an American film producer and CEO of DreamWorks Animation. He is perhaps most famous for his period as chairman of The Walt Disney Company's film division, and for producing DreamWorks animated films such as Shrek, Antz, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken...
, I’ve Loved You So Long Director Philippe Claudel, Four Nights with Anna Director Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début Oko wykol...
, Bergman Island Director Marie Nyrerod.
HKIFF Events
The HKIFF is also a lifestyle event where festivalgoers can attend panel discussions, forums, seminars, exhibitions, live musicConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
performances, parties celebrating the festival and more.
- 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop - Exhibition at agnès b.Agnès b.agnès b. is a French fashion designer. She is known for her self-named brand, which includes fashion and film interests.-Life and early career:...
’s Librairie Galerie - Ingmar BergmanIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
: The Man Who Asked Hard Questions - Exhibition, Hong Kong Cultural CentreHong Kong Cultural CentreThe Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a multipurpose performance facility in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was founded by the former Urban Council and, after 2000, is administered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government... - The 33rd HKIFF Film Posters - Exhibition, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
- In the Name of Love: Exhibition on Evan Yang - Hong Kong Film Archive
Networking Events held at the W Hong Kong:
- Grand Opening Party
- "A Tribute to Romantic Visions: 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop" Party
- The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
Next Gen Asian Launch
The HKIFF Society Welcome Luncheon was held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
Publications
The acclaimed bilingualMultilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
publications have always been a notable hallmark of the HKIFF. This year, four publications were published during the 33rd HKIFF: The 33rd HKIFF Main Catalogue, A Tribute to Romantic Visions: 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop, Ingmar Bergman Forever, and Defining Modernity: Michelangelo Antonioni.
Seminars and Forums
- Evan Yang: the Man and His Work
- The Films of Evan Yang
- A Tribute to Romantic Visions: 25th Anniversary of Film Workshop
- For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film CriticismFor the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film CriticismFor the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism is a 2009 documentary film dramatizing a hundred years of American film criticism through film clips, historic photographs, and on-camera interviews with many of today’s important reviewers, mostly print but also Internet...
- The Controversial Centenary of Hong Kong Cinema
- Between Public and Private: A Space for Independent Chinese Cinema #1
- Between Public and Private: A Space for Independent Chinese Cinema #2
- The Realist Dao of Yu Hyun-mokYu Hyun-mokYu Hyun-mok was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, North Hwanghae, Korea , he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo...
- Defining Modernity: Michelangelo AntonioniMichelangelo AntonioniMichelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
- Free Screening and Talk on Ingmar BergmanIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
- Panel Discussion: History and Film
- Courses on Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman
Media coverage
In 2009, over 300 media members from 25 countries attended the 33rd HKIFF events. There was extensive media coverage from key outlets namely film, entertainment, trade media as well as fashion and lifestyle media from the Greater China region, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, India, UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Russia and Egypt.
During the period, two pre-festival press conferences
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
, 17 press junkets and more than 200 press interviews were arranged for local and overseas media.
Dodging Chinese censorship
In 2002, a legitimate film in the HKIFF program was retracted because a banned film was shown alongside it. Filmmakers worried that being in the league of banned films might offend the authorities. But it was the country title of “China” printed in the program notes that the Chinese Government had contested, not the film itself.In the mainland, a film that has not received documentation is unauthorized, and therefore does not officially exist. Labeling such a film as “from China” offends the Chinese Government.
When the HKIFF ran these films, the Chinese government would retract them. They would blame it on the improper procedures taken by HKIFF but say nothing of the film content. The HKIFF has found a way to go around this.
Unauthorized films can still be part of the HKIFF program, thanks to creative classification. Since the 2003 incident, the HKIFF no longer classified Chinese language films by their countries of origin. They began to label mainland Chinese films "Putonghua", Taiwanese films "Mandarin" and Singaporean films "Mandarin". They have had no trouble since.