13th Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival
The 13th Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival is underway.
The popular film festival is cosponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
The crop of films in this year's film festival exemplifies the diversification that the island's film industry continues to undergo.
Once a relatively isolated industry readily associated with the action genres it specialized in, filmmaking in Hong Kong is now part of a broader East Asian conversation.
No longer known simply for its action films, Hong Kong cinema – as this festival shows – is becoming refreshingly hard to pin down.
The Postmodern Life of My Aunt
Friday, August 1, 7 PM
Sunday, August 3, 2 PM
Like fellow luminaries John Woo and Tsui Hark, Ann Hui began her career as part of the wave of directors that re-energized Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s.
Her latest film, based on a popular novel by Yan Yan, mixes comedy and poignancy to tell the tale of a 60-something woman living alone in Shanghai and trying to cope with both financial woes and the impersonal city around her. When her young nephew comes for an extended visit, and concocts a scheme to get himself kidnapped, her world becomes even more complicated.
Chow Yun-fat adds to the film's charm in a turn as a smarmy con man, hilariously spoofing his famously suave screen persona. (2006, 111 min., Mandarin with English subtitles)
Shaolin Soccer
Friday, August 8, 7 PM
Sunday, August 10, 2 PM
Part Jackie Chan, part Jerry Lewis, and part Bugs Bunny, Stephen Chow is a one-man maelstrom of physical comedy. He both directs and stars in this special effects-filled farce, playing a down-on-his-luck goofball who just happens to be trained in the Shaolin school of martial arts, which gives him superhuman abilities when it comes to things like kicking soccer balls.
Together with his former classmates – each of whom has their own special power – he forms a soccer squad to take on "Team Evil" in a high stakes tournament. The film's "infectious style has a way of lifting spirits. You don't have to be a fan of soccer or kung fu to enjoy it." (Claudia Puig, USA Today). (2001, 87 min.)
As Tears Go By
Friday, August 15, 7 PM
Sunday, August 17, 2 PM
Wong Kar-wai, who gained an enthusiastic cult following with such films as Chungking Express, In The Mood for Love, and 2046, made his directing debut with this gangworld saga about a criminal whose protective instincts lead to tragic consequences.
Rife with the hallmarks of Wong's later style – a lush, moody atmosphere, dazzling camerawork, and tender moments underscored by melancholy pop songs – it established him as one of Hong Kong's most distinctive filmmakers. (1988, 102 min.)
Triangle
Friday, August 22, 7 PM
Sunday, August 24, 2 PM
Hong Kong legends Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnny To teamed up for this cinematic game based on Hark's idea for a collaborative film.
Although it tells a continuous story, each director contributed a section, using his own method and taking the plot in any direction he wanted. The result is both a primer in each of these masters' unique styles, and an enjoyable romp about a robbery gone wrong. "It is like tasting an exquisite dish with three different flavors." (Dosin Pak, Pusan International Film Festival.) (2007, 101 min.)
Venue
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art
Independence Avenue at 12th Street, SW
Metro: Smithsonian
FREE tickets are required for all films in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium. Up to two tickets per person are distributed one hour before show time. For more information, please call (202) 357 2700.
All films are in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles unless otherwise indicated.
In conjunction with the Freer's Made in Hong Kong Film Festival, the AFI Silver Theatre will present a retrospective of the films of Johnny To. Visit www.afi.com/silver/new for details.
Photo courtesy of Cheerland Entertainment Organization and Golden Network Asia Limited
Filmmaker Johnnie To Donates Awards to Film Archive
Acclaimed
film director and producer Johnnie To donated trophies and photos to the Hong
Kong Film Archive (HKFA) for permanent preservation.
Speaking at the "Johnnie To Donation Ceremony and Seminar", Assistant Director of the Leisure and Cultural Services (Heritage and Museums), Louis Ng Chi-wa, noted that films of different generations not only marked the history of film development, but also reflected societal changes which had become part of Hong Kong's cultural heritage.
From TV producer to film director, Johnnie To has made films in many different genres.
With Milkyway Image, he has nurtured new directorial and scriptwriting talent with a vision of sustaining film heritage.
Since its inception, the HKFA has received staunch support from individuals, the film industry and the public in preserving Hong Kong's cinematic achievements.
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