Organised by the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival Society in cooperation with Broadway Cinematheque, the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) is returning for its 21st edition during 17 October to 17 November 2024! This year, we have garnered over 90 films for cinephiles, including award-winning titles and exciting new releases that were shown at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin. HKAFF features a special “Made in HK” section, showcasing a variety of new Hong Kong films!
Opening Films, Closing Films and Spotlights
Two highly anticipated Hong Kong films will open HKAFF2024. The Last Dance, a somber but surprising life-affirming drama directed by Chan Mou-yin Anselm, marks the first on-screen collaboration between comedy icons Dayo Wong and Michael Hui since 1992. Starring Marf Yau from girl group COLLAR, Blossoms Under Somewhere is screenwriter-turned-director Riley Yip’s heartful debut which revolving around the secret online lingerie business of a high school girl.
Closing the festival will be two films with stellar performances. Daughter’s Daughter, the remarkable second feature from Taiwanese director Huang Xi, stars Sylvia Chang, Karena Lam, and Eugenie Liu. Chang received an Honorable Mention in the Platform section at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival for her powerful performance. Papa is a gripping true-crime drama from Philip Yung that features Sean Lau’s career-best performance as the father of a teenager who murders his mother and sister.
Featured in the “Spotlights” section is The Way We Talk, Adam Wong’s sincere and empathetic story about the soul-searching journeys of three friends (Neo Yau, Chung Suet-ying, and Marco Ng) who have different conditions of deafness. Hong Kong sign language interpretation will be provided at the Q&A sessions.
A Showcase of Hong Kong Talents: “Made in HK” and Hong Kong Shorts
This year's festival features a new “Made in HK” section to show our unwavering support for emerging local talents. Chan Tai-lee explores a troubled father-son relationship with action film Fight for Tomorrow, driven by a compelling performance from Patrick Tam. An Abandoned Team, starring Lawrence Cheng and Amy Lo, is a heartwarming cross-species tale from veteran ADs-turned-directors Thomas Lee and Daniel Ho. First-time director Siu Koon-ho’s True Love, for Once in My Life boasts powerhouse performances by seasoned actors Cecilia Yip and Tse Kwan-ho. The section also presents three documentaries: Paws Land follows the non-profit organization Paws Guardian on their harrowing missions to rescue and rehome stray animals; Ah Cheung: Wings of Hope chronicles activist Law Wai-cheung’s life in tandem with the local disability’s rights movements from the 60s to the present; Fallen Treasures is a wistful look at the city’s urban development as it captures the final days of Chi Kee Sawmill.
After an open call for short films made by Hongkongers, HKAFF has carefully selected 16 works from over 150 submissions. The curated programme covers documentary, drama, experimental and animation with diverse genres of comedy, suspense, horror, romance, coming-of-age, queer and more. The count signifies our mission to provide a platform for all the voices. As the challenge and fight for resources gets rougher, we hope to ignite a timely response to the wave of lights in the independent short film arena.
Hand Rolled Cigarette Cine-Concert
As we endeavor to explore the diversity of cinematic experiences, our mission is also to highlight the talents of industry creators. Inspired by several young composers who recently brought new voices to the scene, HKAFF is organising its first ever cine-concert. In collaboration with Iris Liu (iii) and Hanz Au, as well as local sound artist Karen Yu and trumpeter Atlas Iu, this live music show featuring an original composition for Hand Rolled Cigarette (17th HKAFF Opening Film) will certainly be a feast for all senses.
Hong Kong premieres of award-winning titles, highlighted by the presence of filmmakers
A variety of Asian gems will have their Hong Kong premieres at HKAFF, including Hiroshi Okuyama’s sublime coming-of-age tale My Sunshine, which shone at Cannes Film Festival. Okuyama will be joined by star Sosuke Ikematsu at the Q&A sessions. Jia Zhangke will be greeting the audiences at the screenings of Caught by the Tides, his latest epic that captures China’s rapid transformation over two decades. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s highly anticipated thriller Cloud will makes its stop at HKAFF after travelling to Venice and Toronto. Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour, which won Best Director at Cannes, details an epic journey across Asia. Do not miss the works from Asian new talents too: Nelicia Low, who was named Best Director at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for her debut Pierce, will be present at screenings alongside actors Tsao Yu-ning and Liu Hsiu-fu. After directing the transcendent Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, Neo Sora will bring his acclaimed dramatic feature directorial debut Happyend to Hong Kong.
Director in Focus: Mipo O
Mipo O stands out as a distinctive female voice in Japanese cinema, having received numerous accolades such as the prestigious Kinema Junpo Award and Best Director honours at international film festivals. Approaching melodramatic stories about family dynamics and marginalised individuals with exquisite sensibility, her works are both moving and soothing. As O returns to filmmaking after a nine-year hiatus with Living in Two Worlds which stars Ryo Yoshizawa as a CODA, HKAFF presents a retrospective that showcases all her feature dramas, including the acclaimed works The Sakais’ Happiness and The Light Shines Only There. O will attend a talk on her career, as well as a conversation with Adam Wong (The Way We Talk) on filming the lives of deaf people.
From the Steppe: New Kazakh Cinema
Moral decay amidst the vigorous social transformations following the collapse of the Soviet Union, resistance to collectivism, struggles in one’s search for identity… these are among the common themes reflected in Kazakh films, which have been gaining recognition at international film festivals in recent years. “From the Steppe: New Kazakh Cinema” features some of the best Kazakh works from the past decade and two essential works – The Needle and Killer – to provide a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Kazakh cinema and their unique voice on the international stage.
Witness the frontlines of conflicts though documentaries and Palestinian Cinema
HKAFF offers a wide range of documentaries, connecting the audiences to unique cultural perspectives and the frontlines of conflicts. In the face of escalating conflicts around the world, HKAFF also presents a small focus on Palestine that explores the meanings of homeland and diaspora. With a selection of works from different eras, in which three of them were co-directed by Israeli and Palestinian directors, we aim to induce dialogues and highlight the importance of understanding.
HKAFF brings back Young Jury programme to nurture young cinephiles
The popular Young Jury programme is returning to HKAFF! Local Form 4 to Form 6 students are welcome to join the HKAFF Young Jury to watch curated films, deliberate with fellow jurors and elect their favourite film. Recruitment has begun. Please refer to HKAFF’s social media pages for more details.
HKAFF is launching the Foodie Map with enticing offers
Deciding what to eat could be a very difficult question, especially for cinephiles who have to hop from one cinema to another during the Festival. Fret not, as HKAFF has compiled a foodie map of the Yau Tsim Mong District that will help you get rid of that growling tummy! Whether you're looking for a cup of coffee to brighten up your day before movies, a delicious meal afterwards, some late-night snacks or a tipsy night, the foodie map is here to help. HKAFF ticket holders enjoy exclusive offers from various restaurants. For more details, please refer to the Festival booklet or the list on Google Map: https://bit.ly/HKAFF_FoodieMap
Cinemas: Broadway Cinematheque, PREMIERE ELEMENTS, MOViE MOViE Cityplaza, PALACE ifc, MY CINEMA YOHO MALL, B+ cinema apm, and GALA CINEMA.