********************************************************
The "62nd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Film Panorama 2011 Celebration Dinner" was held tonight (October 19) at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong. The opening films of "Chinese Film Panorama 2011", "The Piano in a Factory" and "The Space Dream", were also screened.
"Chinese Film Panorama 2011" is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the South China Film Industry Workers Union, in association with the Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd and Southern Film Co Ltd.
The officiating guests were the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Li Gang; the Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Gao Yuchen; the Director-General of the Film Bureau, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China, Mr Tong Gang; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Deputy Director of the Basic Law Committee of the HKSAR, Ms Elsie Leung; the Chairman of the Committee of Hong Kong Entertainment Industry, Mr Peter Lam; HKSAR Deputy to the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, Mr Ma Fung-kwok; the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Mr Ng See-yuen; the Chairman of the Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong, Mr Raymond Wong; the Chairman of the South China Film Industry Workers Union, Mr Yu Lun; and the Chairman and General Manager of the Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd, Mr Song Dai.
Other guests included the director of "The Piano in a Factory", Mr Zhang Meng, and leading actress Ms Qin Hailu, as well as the producer of "72 Martyrs", Mr Wang Jianchen, the film's director Mr Chiu Sung-kee and actress Ms Irene Wan; and local film celebrities Ms Susan Shaw, Mr Joe Cheung, Mr Wong Jing, Mr Johnnie To, Ms Shi Nan-sun, Ms Lai Suen, Mr Chow Chung, Ms Pak Yan, Mr Gu Feng and others.
It has been 15 years since the first Chinese Film Panorama was held in 1997, and the programme has continuously brought quality films from the Mainland to the Hong Kong audience ever since, displaying the achievements and latest developments of the Mainland film industry.
From October 24 to November 20, nine recent Mainland films will be shown at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive and the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum. Actors and actresses starring in the films include Sylvia Chang, Fan Bingbing, Xu Jinglei, Zhang Jingchu, Joan Chen, Qin Hailu, Liu Ye, Eric Tsang, Liu Kai-chi, Elanne Kwong, Karen Mok, Irene Wan, Alan Tam, Tse Kwan-ho, Li Yapeng, Leon Dai, Yao Chen, Wang Qinyuan and Guo Tao.
The opening film "The Piano in a Factory" (2010), starring Wang Qianyuan and Qin Hailu, is a comedy of absurdity and melancholic humour. A father and his ex-wife fight for their daughter's custody, and whoever can get her a piano will be able to look after her. After having failed to borrow money and steal a piano, the father, who manages an improvised band, decides to make his own piano. In the film, directed by Zhang Meng, the snow-capped landscape of China's north-east becomes reminiscent of scenes found in East European cinema, with a sense of optimism despite the seemingly derelict setting. The film has won numerous awards including the Best Feature Film Award at the 14th Huabiao Awards, the Best Actor Award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival, Jury Recommendations at the Sydney Chinese Film Festival 2011 and the Grand Jury Prize of the World Competition at the Miami Film Festival 2011.
The other opening film, "The Space Dream" (2011), is China's first film on space exploration, chronicling the training of astronauts, the development of spacecraft and space stations, space walks and the persistence of the first generation of China's astronauts. Shot on location at China's space exploration base at Jiuquan, the Beijing Space City and the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia, and using special effects, the film is a ballad on the greatness of space.
Starring Tse Kwan-ho, Liu Kai-chi, Zhao Bingrui, Elanne Kwong, Irene Wan, Eric Tsang and Alan Tam, and featuring the heroic exploits of the 1911 Revolution, "72 Martyrs" (2011) will be shown at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre at 7.30pm on October 24. Director Chiu Sung-kee and actress Irene Wan will meet the audience before the screening.
Other films to be screened are the highly acclaimed "Buddha Mountain" (2011); a bittersweet tale in "My Spectacular Theatre" (2010); contemporary urban romance in "Color Me Love" (2010); "The Law of Attraction" (2011) and "Eternal Moment" (2011); and the action-packed story of a city knight errant in "He-Man" (2011).
All films are in Putonghua with English and Chinese subtitles.
Tickets priced at $50 are available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. There is a 10 per cent discount for each purchase of six to ten tickets and a 20 per cent discount for each purchase of eleven or more tickets. Credit card booking can be made by phone on 2111 5999 or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk.
For enquiries, please call 2734 2900. Programme details can be found in the programme booklets available at all URBTIX outlets or by browsing the webpage at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/filmprog/english/2011cfp/2011cfp_index.html.
Ends/Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Issued at HKT 22:21
NNNN
