Hong Kong cinema celebrated at various film festivals

To foster cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the western United States, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO San Francisco) presented ten movies at various film festivals in California and Washington from May to July. Stephen Chow’s classic films were honored, and two Hong Kong directors were invited to share their latest works with audience with great success.

Timeless classics honored
A special three-day showcase, “Heart of the Richmond: Stephen Chow Film Festival”, where the cinematic genius of Stephen Chow was celebrated with seven of his most iconic films, was held at the Balboa Theater in the Richmond district in San Francisco, California from July 12 to 14. Nearly 1,500 attendees enjoyed Chow’s classics over the summer weekend. The festival was the first collaboration between the HKETO San Francisco; the Office of Supervisor Connie Chan; Balboa Theater; and Another Planet Entertainment.

Paying tribute to one of Hong Kong's most well-known filmmakers, the festival allowed audiences to revisit Chow’s unique blend of humor and creativity through a curation of timeless hits. The line-up included Chow’s international breakthrough “Shaolin Soccer”; Golden Globe-nominated “Kung Fu Hustle”; Chinese New Year family comedy “All's Well Ends Well”; crowd-pleasing culinary drama “The God of Cookery”; Chinese literature parody “Flirting Scholar”; as well as East-meets-West cult classics “A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box” and “A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella”.

At the opening reception on July 12, the Director of the HKETO San Francisco, Ms Jacko Tsang, delivered welcome remarks. She said, “Stephen Chow’s films have become a cultural phenomenon in Hong Kong and beyond and occupy a unique place in Hong Kong cinema. This festival offers audiences the chance to experience the timeless classics of Chow on the big screen.”

The opening reception featured a traditional kung fu performance and Chinese calligraphy. The subsequent screening of “Shaolin Soccer” was well attended by movie lovers who filled the two-house theater.

Movie talents supported
HKETO San Francisco also supported Hong Kong films that were showcased at film festivals and brought film makers to present their work to the US audience. This year, “All Shall Be Well”, the winner of the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at Berlinale 2024, screened at Frameline48 and CAAMFest 2024 in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Seattle International Film Festival in Seattle respectively in May and June.

With support from the HKETO San Francisco, director Ray Yeung from Hong Kong was in the Bay Area to participate at Frameline48, the longest-running LGBTQ+ film exhibition event in the world held on June 19-29. He met with a full house at the Q&A session following the screening of his award-winning film “All Shall Be Well” on June 27.

On June 28, he joined Ms Tsang to attend a Sing Tao Chinese Radio program. Ms Tsang outlined various government initiatives to support the development of the film industry in Hong Kong, while Mr Yeung shared behind-the-scenes stories about the making of his latest film.

Also in San Francisco were director Norris Wong and producer Wong Hoi of “The Lyricist Wannabe”, who were invited to attend CAAMFest 2024 to present the dramedy about a young woman’s pursuit of being a Cantopop lyricist. Passionate fans and movie lovers greeted them and actress Lai Ying at the screening and Q&A session in SFMOMA on May 18.

Long-term partnership continued
Fueled by Create Hong Kong and Film Development Fund, the HKETO San Francisco continued its long-term partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival and CAAMFest, both held on May 9-19, to celebrate Hong Kong cinema. Two receptions were hosted in Seattle and San Francisco on May 14 and 18.

Speaking at the events, Ms Tsang appreciated the organizations behind the festivals for their staunch support of Hong Kong cinema over the years. She pointed out that the Hong Kong government had been actively promoting the cultural and creative industries, including the film industry. “One of the recent examples is that a total of US$549 million is going to be injected into the Film Development Fund and the CreateSmart Initiative to provide incentives for attracting private sector capital and expanding new markets,” she added.

Both festivals presented two movies in their Hong Kong movie showcase this year. “All Shall Be Well” and “The Lyricist Wannabe” were on CAAMFest’s line-up. Besides “All Shall Be Well”, a new 4k restoration of “July Rhapsody” by Ann Hui screened at the 50th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival.