Hong Kong Worldwide Movie Competition 2024: Line-Up, Tickets, and Particulars to Know

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) unveiled the dates for its 48th edition. The city’s largest film festival will take place from March 28 to April 8. Singer-actress Karena Lam is also the ambassador for the festival, taking over Aaron Kwok who held the position for the past five years.

Alongside the announcement, organisers also dropped the main visuals for the festival and the HKIFF Project Market. This year, a selection of classics received restoration for screening in the festival. The movie line-up, screening venues, and ticketing details will be released soon but for now, keep reading to find out what you should expect from the festival.

Karena Lam is the new ambassador for the Hong Kong International Film Festival

Lam is a recipient of multiple acting accolades including the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards. In addition to her ambassadorship, the singer-actress will also serve as one of the jury members for the Firebird Awards’ Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language) this year.

“Films have had a significant role in my life since childhood. When the [organisers] approached me to become their ambassador, I was thrilled and honoured,” she said. “I am excited to join the audience in watching films from around the world and share my viewing experiences with them,” Lam added.

Showcasing restored classics by celebrated filmmakers

This year, the festival will present six restored contemporary classics by influential Chinese filmmakers including Zhang Yimou, Tsui Hark, and Tsai Ming-liang. Hark’s Dangerous Encounter – 1st Kind (1980) received the restoration treatment. The other master filmmakers are Wu Tiangming, Juang Jiangxin, and Edward Yang. Wu’s Old Well (1987) and Huang’s Dislocation (1986) will be shown, as well as Zhang’s The Story of Qiu Ju (1992). Completing the six-film selection will be Yang’s Mahjong (1996) and Tsai’s The Wayward Cloud (2005).

Other than these regional filmmakers, the festival will also screen eight restored classics from global directors. These include the silent film, Kohlhiesel’s Daughters (1920), Stanley Kubrick’s Fear and Desire (1953), and Roman Polanski’s award-winning The Pianist (2022). In addition, two rarely-seen masterpieces will also grace the screen. Get ready for Jacques Rivette’s French New Wave, L’Amour Fou (1969)  and the powerful Tewfik Saleh’s The Dupes (1972).

European filmmakers Michelangelo Antonioni and Manoel de Oliveira’s works will also be part of the festival. Specifically, Antonioni’s Il Grido (1957) and Bovary in Abraham’s Valley (1993). Continuing on the theme of solitude is Mexican director Arturo Ripstein and the director’s cut of Deep Crimson (1996), restored in 4K with an additional 25 minutes of content.

Martin McDonagh and Hamaguchi Ryusuke get the spotlight

British-Irish playwright and director Martin McDonagh will share his artistic vision and career inspiration with cinephiles in Hong Kong. As part of the tribute programme this year, all of McDonagh’s cinematic works will be screened. This includes two of his Venice Best Screenplay winners: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin.

The festival will also present the Asian premiere of Gift, the latest collaboration between Academy Award-winning director Hamaguchi Ryusuke and composer Ishibashi Eiko. It will be the first and only time that a single performance of Gift with Ishibashi’s live music accompaniment will take place. Following the success of Drive My Car, Hamaguchi made Gift as a silent film project to capture Ishibashi’s live performance. And from the same project, the director derived his latest film, Evil Does Not Exist.

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Hong Kong’s leading film festival

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of the city’s most important cultural events celebrating film. It is also the longest-running international film festival in Asia. It brings together filmmakers, film professionals, and cinephiles worldwide to create new projects and experience outstanding films. The festival introduces local and world cinema to Hongkongers to enrich and deepen their understanding and appreciation of the art.

As of now, the festival line-up has not yet been revealed. So, stay tuned on HKIFF’s social media channels for more updates.

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong.