The 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) hold its opening ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) yesterday. Love In the Buff, a film directed by Hong Kong director and screenwriter Pang Ho-Cheung, is the opening film. The follow-up to Pang's critically acclaimed 2010 Love In a Puff, Pang's film explores a modern love story between advertising executive Jimmy (Shawn Yue) and cosmetic sales girl Cherie (Miriam Yeung). White Deer Plain, a historical drama directed by mainland director Wang Quan'an, is planned as the festival's closing film.
From March 21 to April 5, 283 films from 50 countries and regions will be screened. Of these films, 53 are either world or Asian premiers. No¬table films screened include Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War, Tsui Hark's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, and Gi-anni Amelio's The First Man.
A number of famous directors and acting stars will attend the festival. Mainland director Jiang Wen, Hong Kong director Peter Chan, Canadian actor Keanu Reeves, and British actress Charlotte Rampling plan on making appearances. The festival has acted as a stage for many upcoming Chinese films including director Derek Tung- Shing Yee's Vanish Bullets and kung fu epic Wu Dang.
Along with the film screenings, the HKIFF also features lectures and activities.
Asian Film Awards
On Monday, March 19, the sixth Asian Film Awards (AFA) was held at the HKCEC. Organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), the event has been held annually since 2007.
Iranian film, A Separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi, won top prize at the AFA, taking home four out of the five nominations it received. Already gaining international recognition at the Golden Globes, Golden Bear Awards, and the Oscars, A Separation took in Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, and Best Editor.
Hong Kong actress Deanie Ip won Best Actress for her acting in A Simple Life, directed by Hong Kong director Ann Hui. Other nominees included Vidya Balan from India, Michelle Chen from Taiwan, Eugene Domingo from the Philippines, and Leila Hatami from Iran.
Best Actor went to Indonesia's Donny Damara, who portrayed a transvestite sex worker in Lovely Man. Nominees included Andy Lau from Hong Kong, Chen Kun from Chinese mainland, Park Hae Il from South Korea, and Yakusho Koji from Japan.
Best Newcomer was given to Ni Ni for her role as a prostitute in The Flowers of War. Hong Kong director Ann Hui was honored for her work at the ceremony with the Lifetime Achievement Award, the first female director to receive the award.
Anticipating big stars
Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves, known for his leading role in The Matrix, will also attend the HKIFF. Reeves will be a guest lecturer at the Jockey Club Cine Academy, a 3-year film education program presented by the HKIFFS and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The program aims to foster film literacy among Hong Kong youth.
On March 18, Reeves screened Side By Side, the documentary he produced about the digital revolution in filmmaking. The documentary had its first screening at the Berlin International Film Festival. This is the first time the film screened in Asia.
Reeves says he spent a year and a half shooting Side By Side, a digital movie. Though many movies are now shot digitally in lieu of the traditional method of capturing images on film, Reeves disagrees that traditional cinematography is coming to an end. In any case, the HKIFF will showcase an array of digitally and traditionally shot films.