Hong Kong 15 Film Festival Full Line up announced

1st July marks fifteen years since Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty. To commemorate this special occasion, the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, London, in association with Terracotta Festival, has put together an exciting film festival to showcase the best of current Hong Kong films as well as to look back on the last fifteen years and beyond.

    The ‘Hong Kong 15 Film Festival’ will take place at the Odeon Covent Garden, London, commencing 2nd July 2012 for a fortnight until 14th July. With guests in attendance and fifteen films carefully selected, the festival will pay tribute to the extraordinary story of this vibrant and energetic island city through the eyes of its film-makers.

    The diversity of Hong Kong cinema will be represented through a panorama of films divided in three sections: ‘Currents’, '15 Years Review’ and ‘Shaw Brothers Classics’.

The Festival will open with multi-award-winning drama, A Simple Life by acclaimed director Ann Hui, starring Hong Kong star Andy Lau and a comeback performance from the highly decorated Deanie Ip who won the Best Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. The event will be attended by Roger Lee, the producer and writer whose life story the film is based on. Other highlights of the ‘Currents’ section include Life Without Principle by prolific filmmaker Johnnie To and The Bounty by Fung Chi Chiang.

Made in Hong Kong, directed by Fruit Chan, is a groundbreaking film which found great local and international acclaim for its release 15 years ago. It remains an uncommon Hong Kong example of a true independent film and will open the ‘15 Year Review’section to lead the way for other highly influential contemporary Hong Kong directors such as Pang Ho Cheung, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.

‘Hong Kong 15 Film Festival’ wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the legendary Shaw Brothers Studios and, as an homage to the most significant film production company in the history of Hong Kong Cinema, festival goers will be able to indulge in two martial arts masterpieces on the big screen: 1967 blockbuster One Armed Swordsman and one of the greatest Kung Fu film, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

    Talent attending the event will travel courtesy of Sponsor-in-Kind, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's flagship carrier.

    Other cultural tributes for the occasion will take place such as the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival on Sunday 1st July in London and the screening of Big Blue Lake at the Cornerhouse in Manchester on Friday 6th July.
    Visit the festival website for regular Festival updates and ticket information:
http://hk15filmfestival.com/

‘Hong Kong 15 Film Festival’ full programme:

- CURRENTS:
A Simple Life - by Ann Hui
Big Blue Lake - by Jessey Tsang Tsui-Shan
White Vengeance - by Daniel Lee
Life Without Principle - by Johnnie To
The Bounty - by Fung Chi Chiang
The Detective 2 - by Oxide Pang
East Meets West 2011 by Jeffrey Lau
Wu Xia - by Peter Chan

- 15 YEARS: A REVIEW
Made In Hong Kong- by Fruit Chan
When Beckham Met Owen - by Adam Wong
Infernal Affairs - by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak
Sparrow - by Johnnie To
Dream Home - by Pang Ho-cheung

- SHAW BROTHERS CLASSIC
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - by Liu Chia-Liang
One Armed Swordsman - by Chang Cheh