Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers will open this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (April 1-12), which is celebrating its 50th edition, while Philip Yung’s Cyclone will play as the closing film.
We Are All Strangers, the third part of Chen’s Singapore-set Growing Up trilogy, recently received its world premiere in the main competition section of Berlin film festival. Yung’s Cyclone, which premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam, examines transgender identity and social marginalisation.
The two films headline HKIFF’s selection of 215 films from 71 countries and regions, including 11 world premieres, four international premieres and 49 Asian premieres. As previously announced, Jia Zhangke has been selected as the Filmmaker in Focus.
Along with Jia, Chen and Yung, other filmmakers expected to attend the event and interact with audiences include Juliette Binoche, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin, Ann Hui, Tsai Ming-Liang, Ildikó Enyedi, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Edwin and Ben Rivers.
Also as previously announced, the festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary with three performances of ‘In the Mood For Love – In Concert’, a collaboration with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra that brings Wong Kar Wai’s classic to life with a fresh interpretation of the film’s iconic score.
The festival will also present a free exhibition, ‘50 and Beyond: The Hong Kong International Film Festival Golden Jubilee Exhibition’, at Hong Kong City Hall, showcasing rare archival materials, photographs and filmmakers’ reminiscences.
HKIFF’s Young Cinema Competition for Chinese-language features has selected eight titles including two from Singapore – Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s Ah Girl and Tan Siyou’s Amoeba – as well as Pingyao film festival winners Nighttime Sounds from China’s Zhang Zhongchen and Deep Quiet Room from Taiwan’s Shen Ko-shang.
The eight films selected for the World section of the Young Cinema Competition include Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, which won Best Lead Performance for Sandra Huller at the recent Berlin film festival, and Variations On A Theme, from South Africa’s Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, which won the Tiger Award at this year’s IFFR.
