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"Chinese Film Panorama 2013" opened tonight (November 4) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the award-winning film "Feng Shui" (2012), directed by Wang Jing and starring Yan Bingyan.
The film programme is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the South China Film Industry Workers Union, in association with Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd and Southern Film Co Ltd.
From today to December 15, 10 Mainland films in a diverse range of genres are being screened at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive, the Lecture Halls of the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Science Museum, and Cine-Art House.
The officiating guests at the opening ceremony were the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Deputy Director-General of the Publicity, Culture and Sports Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Chan Ah-king; the Deputy Director-General of the Film Bureau of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, Mr Luan Guozhi; the Chairman of the South China Film Industry Workers Union, Mr Cheung Hong-tat; the Chairman and General Manager of Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd, Mr Song Dai; and the Director of Southern Film Co Ltd, Ms Ren Yue.
Other guests included the director of "Feng Shui", Wang Jing, and the film's leading actress, Yan Bingyan, as well as the director of "Young Style" (2013), Liu Jie, along with other local film personalities.
With China now the second largest film market in the world and its annual box office revenue on course to surpass RMB20 billion, the nation's thriving film industry is producing numerous outstanding works. The 10 selected creative films in "Chinese Film Panorama 2013", starring Gao Yuanyuan, Wang Xueqi, Yan Bingyan, Sun Honglei and Qin Hailu among others, cover social issues in the Mainland, the growing up of teenagers and other touching topics. Most of the films to be screened are award-winning works.
The opening film "Feng Shui" focuses on the deep misfortune a middle-aged saleswoman experiences after she and her family move into a new home that is believed to have bad feng shui. Despite the sadness of having her husband commit suicide and her son turn against her, she vows to fight against her fate. Director Wang Jing successfully elevates common melodrama into tragedy and fuses a bittersweet tale of destiny with black humour. With much of the dialogue in the Wuhan dialect, the film is both rough and exquisite. Leading actress Yan Bingyan gives a brilliant performance as a wife/mother who refuses to resign to her fate, and the achievement won her Best Actress in the First Tiantan Awards of the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival as well as Best Actress in the 13th Chinese Film Media Awards.
The other films in the programme are the teen movie "Young Style"; director Chen Kaige's "Caught in the Web" (2012), which deals with the issue of cyber-bullying; "Beijing Blues" (2012), which focuses on swindlers and thieves; "Lethal Hostage" (2012), featuring the bold theme of drug trafficking; the city comedy "Kill the Boss" (2012); "Full Circle" (2012), which portrays life in an elderly home; "Sunlight at Fingertips" (2012), about the lives of children left behind in villages; "Camel Caravan" (2012), featuring beautiful desert scenery; and the 3D animation film "Fantastic Adventure" (2013).
All films have Chinese and English subtitles.
Tickets are now available at all URBTIX outlets (for films to be shown at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Film Archive, the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum), Cine-Art House and Cityline (for films to be shown at Cine-Art House). Tickets are priced at $55 with half-price concessionary tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Credit card bookings can be made on 2111 5999 (URBTIX), on 2317 6666 (Cityline), or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk (URBTIX) or www.cityline.com (Cityline).
For enquiries, please call 2734 2900. For ticketing details, see the programme booklet, distributed at LCSD performing venues and Cine-Art House, or browse the webpage at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/filmprog/english/2013cfp/2013cfp_index.html.
Ends/Monday, November 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:50
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