Cinematic gems from Hong Kong in the spotlight

Autumn is traditionally the film festival season in Central Europe. HKETO Berlin has once again sponsored two top-notch film festivals, namely the Zurich Film Festival and the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival in Warsaw, that have brought cinematic art from Hong Kong to the European audience.

The Zurich Film Festival, currently the largest film festival in Switzerland with around 102,000 visitors, took place from September 23 to October 3, 2021 covering 164 films from over 50 countries and regions worldwide. Under the section “Window to the World: Hong Kong”, film enthusiasts were able to watch a selection of four cinematic masterpieces from Hong Kong showcasing typical elements of the cinematic style that Hong Kong films are famous for. They included the drama Drifting, the tragicomedy Time, and famous director Benny Chan’s last film Raging Fire and Septet: The Story of Hong Kong – a cooperation between a group of Hong Kong film makers, who have portrayed their home town through seven passionate stories.

Cineasts in Warsaw seized the opportunity to watch some classic movies from Hong Kong’s award-winning director and screenwriter Wong Kar-wai as part of a dedicated retrospective at the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival. It is Poland’s largest film festival, which was held from November 17-29, 2021. The retrospective featured seven masterpieces from his early works As Tears Go By and Days of Being Wild to the all time favourites like In the Mood for Love.

Hong Kong is home to one of the largest and most dynamic film entertainment industries in the world. Hong Kong’s focus on the creative industry and the development and support of artists and talents is reflected by the additional allocation of EUR 110 million announced in the 2021-22 Budget for supporting the CreateSmart Initiative and another EUR 102 million for the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme which promotes culture and arts from all sectors.