The Hong Kong Asian Film Festival is back once again for its 21st edition with a programme of local and Asian films. The festival aims to celebrate the spirit of original filmmaking while bringing incredible Asian films to a Hong Kong audience, and this year’s programme definitely measures up. From October 17 to November 10, moviegoers can visit seven cinemas across Hong Kong, such as Broadway Cinematheque, Palace IFC, Movie Movie Cityplaza, and B+ Cinema APM, to catch a range of specially curated movies.
Some superb Hong Kong films that will be screened this year are The Last Dance, an existential look at mortality starring Dayo Wong and Michael Hui; True Love, for Once in My Life, a directorial debut exploring marriage through its highs and lows; An Abandoned Team, about a stray dog that impacts a broken family; as well as a series of locally made short films.
The HKAFF 2024 opens with The Last Dance and Blossoms Under Somewhere – the latter is the debut by screenwriter-turned-director Riley Yip, and follows an introverted girl who tries to form meaningful bonds through parasocial relationships online. The closing films will be Daughter’s Daughter, a morally complex look at grief and motherhood starring Sylvia Chang and Karena Lam, and crime drama Papa, which was inspired by the true case of a teenager who murdered his mother and sister in 2010.
There are also other fantastic films and documentaries from Taiwan, Japan, Kazakhstan, India, Thailand, mainland China, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Iran, and even Bhutan. Many of these are movies that would prove difficult to see on the big screen outside of their respective countries, so take this chance to expand your cinematic horizons!
Tickets to the HKAFF screenings run from $95 to $110 depending on the movie and cinema. Discounts are available for students, senior citizens, and members of bcinephile and Movie Movie. Check out the HKAFF website for the screening schedule.
