Find you have a free night during a trip to Hongkong in March or April?
Join cineastes and just plain movie buffs as they have their fill of the latest crop of film gems when the 33rd Hongkong International Film Festival (HKIFF) plays out from March 22 to April 13. The event will see some 300 titles screened and six red carpet gala premieres unfold.
HKIFF is organised by the Hongkong International Film Festival Society, a non-profit, non-government charity organisation, which is also behind the Hongkong-Asia Film Financing Forum and Asian Film Awards that recognises excellence in production and acting among other categories. Celebrities Jacky Chan, Maggie Cheung and Jet Li are among some of the big names expected to grace the event.
While mainly a celebration of Asian talent, HKIFF will also feature international oeuvres. Last year, viewers enjoyed Mongol, a Russian-German-Kazakhstan joint venture, Shall We Kiss from France and Shine A Light from the US megged by Martin Scorsese.
Screenings will take place at various locations including Time Square, Cityplaza, Hongkong Cultural Centre, Hongkong Convention and Exhibition Centre, City Hall, Hongkong Film Archive, Hongkong Academy of Performing Arts and the Hongkong Science and Space Museums.
HKIFF and various industry partners will co-host a number of forums, seminars and exhibitions providing the public food for thought on films and their future in a digital age.
According to a Hongkong International Film Festival Society spokesperson, the seminar, 100th Anniversary of Hongkong Cinema is tentatively scheduled on April 5. Local and foreign critics and scholars have been invited to weigh in on the definition of the “Hongkong film”.
Priority bookings through the internet will be accepted on February 26 and 27 (www.hkiff.org.hk); postal bookings start from February 28; and bookings via Urban Ticketing System (URBTIX) outlets begin on March 12. Prices for regular and weekend public holiday screenings are HK$60 (US$8) and weekday matinee screenings cost HK$42 (US$5). Passes include the Matinee Pass (US$103), Super Value Pass (US$258) and the VIP Pass (US$541).
For more details and bookings, visit http://society.hkiff.org.hk
Peter Rajendran
