Hong Kong’s anniversary is making waves in Berlin
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) kicked off its celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with a photo exhibition on Hong Kong films named “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema” which opened on 2 June (Berlin time).
The exhibition runs from 2 to 10 June at Studio Cherié in Berlin-Neukölln and is open to the public. “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema” highlights the works of some of Hong Kong’s most iconic photographers, namely Jupiter Wong, Wong Wai Lun, Quist Tsang and Sharon Salad. It tells the unique story of Hong Kong cinema over the past 25 years in a new artistic dimension and fascination, seen through the perspective of these four individuals. “The images not only depict the evolution of Hong Kong’s cinema, but also capture the city’s development, the lives of its people as well as their dreams and aspirations over the past quarter of a century”, Ms Jenny Szeto, Director of the HKETO Berlin, highlighted in her opening speech.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) supported the Berlin edition of “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema”. HKETO Berlin will also present the exhibition in virtual sphere at the Zurich Film Festival (September) and the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival in Warsaw (November), and will stage another physical exhibition at the FILMASIA in Prague (December).
Under the theme „A New Era – Stability, Prosperity and Opportunity“ HKETO Berlin participates in the festivities of the 25th anniversary by hosting and supporting a series of events ranging from film festivals and gala dinners to street food festivals in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland this year. “There are a lot of opportunities for cultural exchange between Hong Kong and these countries at the events to come and I am very much looking forward to it”, Ms Szeto continued.
She further shared latest cultural updates from Hong Kong, such as the impending opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in mid-2022. The new museum will highlight artefacts from Beijing’s Palace Museum, some of which have never been put on public display before. It will become the latest highlight of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), Hong Kong’s new cultural hotspot and one of the world’s largest cultural projects.
Director Szeto also called on creative talents from Germany to come to Hong Kong to pursuit a career in the cultural sector. “Hong Kong has drawn up a Talent List, providing immigration facilitation to the talents that Hong Kong needs most in the immediate to medium term.” Currently, the list comprises 13 professions, with “creative industries and performing arts professionals” being one of them. This category includes film production professionals, recording engineers, art tech professionals and many others in the sector.
According to Ms Szeto, initiatives like the Talent List show how cultural exchange can look like in reality. “Cultural exchange is not a mere catchword to us. I dare the local talents in Germany to take a plunge into unchartered water, come to Hong Kong and make waves together with our home-grown talents.”
For details on the exhibition and other celebration events of HKETO Berlin, please visit https://www.hketoberlin.gov.hk/en/events_25th.html.
About HKETO Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Contact:
Stephanie Pall
Head, Public Relations
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin
Tel: +49 (0) 30 22 66 77 24 2
Fax: +49 (0)30 22 66 77 28 8
E-mail: stephanie_pall@hketoberlin.gov.hk
HKETO Berlin
3 June 2022
Ends