Hong Kong's vibrant film culture on show at the IFI

August 3rd - 22nd

Long before Asian cinema took the world by storm, Hong Kong was one of the greatest film production hubs in the world, turning out hundreds of pictures annually. These films were largely defined by their vigorous, take-no-prisoners approach and audacious crowd-pleasing panache.

In recent decades, an array of unique Hong Kong talents, ranging from John Woo and Wong Kar-wai to, more recently, Johnnie To and Stephen Chow, have defined and redefined modern cinema. Now a new generation is poised to make its presence felt.

Bringing you up to speed is a bespoke Hong Kong Film Panorama from the IFI, with the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels, combining the finest in contemporary Hong Kong cinema alongside some classics from the vault. The opening film Written By is soulful exploration of love and loss that sees director Wai Ka-Fai coax virtuoso performances to match his deeply metaphysical mood. Storm Warriors provides the obligatory martial arts extravaganza and Invisible Target injects a vivid physicality and tangible dynamic in to the action genre that is almost totally absent from the pap that Hollywood’s been churning out recently. The classic section of the season comprises the seminal Long Arm of the Law from 1984 and Running Out of Time a much-loved 1999 crime classic from Johnnie To, one of the world’s finest action directors.

For those looking to introduce the youngsters to a more gentle side of Honk Kong, IFI Family are presenting a fantastic comic animation McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong.

Hong Kong Season Schedule

August 3rd         18.30                Written By
August 4th         13.30, 18.30      Running Out of Time
August 5th         13.10, 18.20      Long Arm of the Law
August 7th         13.50               Storm Warriors
August 8th         13.40               Night and Fog
August 14th        14.00               Invisible Target
August 22nd       11.00               McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong