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Jackie Chan attends "A Century of Chinese Cinema" in Toronto (with photos)
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     An unprecedented film series entitled "A Century of Chinese Cinema" is being presented by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) from June to August, featuring more than 30 Hong Kong films. Hong Kong's "King of Action Movies" Jackie Chan today (June 12, Toronto time) attended the event's Hong Kong reception.

     "A Century of Chinese Cinema" features a major film retrospective of 80 titles from Hong Kong, the Mainland China and Taiwan, showcasing some best-known classic movies in the 20th century. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto (HKETO) is the co-presenter of the Hong Kong films. This TIFF flagship summer event serves as a comprehensive exploration of Chinese films, art and culture.

     Representing the hosting organisation at the Hong Kong reception at Shangri-la Hotel in Toronto to welcome Jackie Chan and his team, the Artistic Director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, Mr Noah Cowan, described the programme as the result of an unprecedented partnership with the Hong Kong Film Archive, China Film Archive, and the Chinese Taipei Film Archive.

     "Film is one of the best ways to encourage new discussions and dialogues," said Mr Cowan. "The unprecedented scale and depth of the programme, in particular, its Hong Kong offerings, exemplifies TIFF's commitment to foster new relationships and introduce audiences to new cultures and communities that thrive here in our very own city and around the world."

     The Director of HKETO, Miss Gloria Lo, thanked the support given by some of the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema to "A Century of Chinese Cinema", including film actor Jackie Chan, producer Nansun Shi, director Johnnie To, and cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

     "Jackie is such a shining example to show to the world the can-do spirits of Hong Kong," Miss Lo said. "Jackie and Hong Kong both started from a humble ground and made the way to become wonders of the world. Same as Hollywood, Hong Kong is a place of dreams, full of opportunities for those who aspire and strive to excel."

     Miss Lo reviewed Hong Kong's incredible cinematic history. "Hong Kong's film industry, with the very first local film produced in 1909, had undergone fast development since the 1950s and later become an important economic driver for Hong Kong," she said. "In the past 10 years, Hong Kong movies and film talents have won more than 300 international awards. Hong Kong is also frequently visited by overseas crews making commercial films, TV programmes and advertisements."

     Miss Lo also mentioned the recent growing trend of film partnership between Hong Kong and Mainland China by taking advantage of the cooperation measures in the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).

     "Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions have enjoyed tremendous box-office success. Last year alone, seven of the top 10 box office hits in China were Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions. Canadian companies can team up with Hong Kong partners and invest in CEPA-qualified firms to enjoy the same preferential access to the Mainland markets," said Miss Lo.

     Recently, a Chinese film Finding Mr Right has scored huge box office success in the Mainland, taking a total of over CAD$80 million since its release in March. "It is a Hong Kong-Mainland co-production, with two of its co-producers from Vancouver and most part of the film shot in Vancouver," Miss Lo said. "I hope this success story will arouse your interests in co-production among Hong Kong, the Mainland China and Canada."

     The highlights of "A Century of Chinese Cinema" include Jackie Chan's sharing and introduction of his classic movies Drunken Master, The Legend of Drunken Master, and Police Story; cinematographer Christopher Doyle's introduction of Chungking Express and Comrades: Almost a Love Story; producer Nansun Shi's sharing of her industry experience on A Better Tomorrow and A Chinese Ghost Story; and distinguished scholar David Bordwell's discussion on Hong Kong martial arts film.

     Director Johnnie To will later in the programme walk audiences through his action-packed career; and actresses Nora Miao and Ivy Ling Po will introduce, respectively, Fist of Fury and The Love Eterne, films in which they played a lead role. The Programmer of Hong Kong Film Archive, Miss Winnie Fu, hosted a discussion session earlier in the week to talk about the earlier Hong Kong film productions on Wong Fei-hung.   

     For details, please visit the website tiff.net/century.


Ends/Thursday, June 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 10:16

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