Hong Kong Intl Film Festival 2011

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Saturday, 19 March 2011 05:00

Written by L E Shannon

The 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is running March 20 - April 5, 2011 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong Space Museum, among other locations in Hong Kong.

A part of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, the Festival runs in conjunction with the 5th Asian Film Awards (AFA) Presentation Ceremony and the 9th Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

The fest is run by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society; HKIFFS is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization 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 inspiring films from around the world, enriching the cultural life of Hong Kong.

The Opening film is Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, the latest, a comedy, by Hong Kong's own duo of Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fa. A young woman recovering from heartbreak meets an attractive playboy, who has no intention of getting married, and a nice but dreary architect who is marriageable. The classic bad boy/good boy dilemma many a single gal has faced. With Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Gao Yuanyuan, Lam Suet, Terence Yin.

Several special filmmakers are saluted this year:

The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to film industry pioneer Raymond Chow, who presided over the "Golden Era" of Hong Kong cinema at both the Shaw Brothers studio since the 1950s and Golden Harvest after 1970. Chow influenced the careers of some of Asia’s biggest stars who went on to become international superstars, such as Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury), Jackie Chan (Police Story) and Jet Li (Once Upon a Time in China series).

The Filmmaker in Focus for 2011 is Wai Ka-fai, writer and producer who has worked with Johnnie To. Eleven of Wai’s most celebrated films made between 1995 and 2009  are being screened.  

Master Class - this year's guest is Jia Zhangke, who will interact and share his previous experience with movie goers and fans.

Jia's newest work, Yulu, also makes its world premiere at HKIFF. Jia produced this documentary with six young directors who were invited to interview 12 outstanding persons from the fields of finance, culture and social community in Mainland China. Jia himself filmed two of the segments.

Shibuya Minoru (1907-1980) specialized in adapting masterpieces of literature. He joined Shochiku Studio in 1930 and served as assistant director to Mikio Naruse, Heinosuke Gosho and Yasujirō Ozu before becoming a director himself. He directed over 40 films between 1937 and 1966, exploring the problems facing the ordinary people in post-war Japan.  Films being screened include:

• Doctor’s Day Off / Honjitsu Kyûshin (1952)
• Modern People / Gendai-jin (1952)
• Righteousness / Seigiha (1957)
• The Days of Evil Women / Akujo no Kisetsu (1958)
• The Shrikes / Mozu (1961)
• A Good Man, A Good Day / Koujin-koujitsu (1961)
• Drunkard’s Paradise / Yopparai Tengoku (1962)

Kuei Chih-hung – Hong Kong Cult Meister
Hong Kong filmmaker Kuei Chih-hung (1937-1999) was a contract director at Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s. Later elevated to cult status, Kuei "blended a personal vision with the demands and conventions of commercial cinema." Some of the movies being screened are:

• The Delinquent / Fen nu qing nian (1973)
• The Killer Snakes / She sha shou (1974)
• Killer Constable / Wan ren zan (1980)
• Hex / Xie (1980)
• Hex After Hex / Che yuen joi che (1982)
• The Boxer’s Omen / Mo (1983)

HKIFF continues its promotion of restored classic films by screening more landmark films. This year's selections are:

Man with a Movie Camera
Dir. Dziga Vertov (Soviet Union 1929)
This is a stunning avant-garde documentary famous for its range of cinematic techniques: double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, Dutch angles, and the revolutionary use of editing -- techniques that are all fairly standard today. The screening is accompanied by live piano played by German pianist Eunice Martins.

La Dolce Vita
Dir. Federico Fellini (Italy/France 1960)
The newly restored classic by the Gucci Foundation under the supervision of renowned film director Martin Scorsese is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the film.

The Mummy
Dir. Shadi Abdel Salam (Egypt 1969)
The Mummy was the only full-length feature directed by Salam. This classic film is consistently listed as one of the most important Egyptian films ever made and occupies a significant position in film history.

Among the films being screened are:

Sacrifice
Dir. Chen Kaige (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Grand master Chen Kaige's first film in 10 years is set in China's Warring States Period. Court Doctor Cheng Ying is forced to sacrifice his newborn son to save the son of his master, whose clan is wiped out by General Tuan Gu. Scheming revenge, Cheng offers his service to the General and persuades him to become godfather to the boy, only to see his plan backfire. With Ge You, Wang Xueqi, Huang Xiaoming, Fan Bingbing.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Dir. Tsui Hark
Famed auteur Hark is also back, with another action thriller adapted from a Tang Dynasty story. A detective is summoned back from exile by the empress to foil an assassination plot. With Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, Tony Leung Ka-fai.

Punished
Dir. Law Wing-Cheong
A tycoon terrorizes both family and staff, except for his loyal bodyguard.  When the tycoon’s daughter is abducted and killed by cold-blooded kidnappers, he asks his bodyguard to avenge his daughter’s death. With Anthony Wong, Maggie Cheung Ho-Yee, Richie Ren, Janice Man, Lam Lee.

The Unjust
Dir. Ryoo Seung-wan (South Korea)
A serial killer is on the loose and even the president wants to get involved in the investigation. When the most probable suspect dies in custody, high ranking authority decides to create a killer – and anyone will do. With Hwang Jung-Min, Ryu Seung-Bum, Yoo Hae-Jin.

German master Werner Herzog makes his foray into 3D with his newest film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams. The film captures ancient drawings and other awe-inspiring artifacts in the Chauvet Cave of Southern France.

This is only a brief list of an amazing collection of films that spans shorts, animation, and documentaries, including Inside Job, Pink Saris, and Oceans.

This is a festival that is definitely worth the trip.

For more information, go to www.hkiff.org.hk.

Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)
March 20 - April 5, 2011

Hong Kong Cultural Centre
10 Salisbury Road
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
2734 2009

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