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Four recent Hong Kong films are being screened in the open air in Bordeaux, France's second biggest city, from August 26 to 30 at the initiative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels). The open-air screenings are taking place on a lawn on the picturesque banks of the Garonne, a favourite riverside spot frequented by crowds of locals and tourists in the summer.
The films are Vincent Chui's "Fig", Sunny Luk and Longman Leung's "Cold War", Gilitte Leung's "Love Me Not" and Heiward Mak's "Diva". Two of the movies, "Love Me Not" and "Fig", will be screened again at the auditorium of Bordeaux's Mériadeck library on September 4 and 6 respectively.
This is the third time that HKETO, Brussels has organised the Hong Kong Film Panorama in Bordeaux in co-operation with Centre Jean Vigo Evénements.
Speaking at the Hong Kong Night reception before the screening of "Cold War" yesterday (August 27, Bordeaux time), the Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Miss Drew Lai, said that Hong Kong has long been a place of open borders and open minds, with a cultural mix of Chinese and Western influences.
"We safeguard and respect cultural freedom and artistic creation. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are enshrined in our constitutional document, the Basic Law. This helps create an environment that encourages creativity and diversity," Miss Lai said.
She noted that over the years, Hong Kong movies have gained considerable worldwide acclaim, receiving more than 300 international awards in the past decade.
"One of the most recent of these awards was in July, when Dante Lam's sports drama "Unbeatable" won the top award for best film at the Asian Summer Film Festival in Vic, near Barcelona in Spain," she added.
Hong Kong and Bordeaux have continued to forge closer economic and cultural ties since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in Wine-related Businesses in October 2008, and this is the second event organised in the city by HKETO, Brussels this summer.
From June 26 to 29, in co-operation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, HKETO, Brussels ran a booth at the Bordeaux Wine Festival. The booth was designed as a Hong Kong local bistro serving milk tea and dim sum to showcase Hong Kong's local gourmet delicacies. Hong Kong's comics industry was also promoted with a display of comic figures, books, videos and other exhibits and creations of Hong Kong artists, curated by the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Hong Kong was also the Guest City of Honour at the previous edition of the Bordeaux Wine Festival in 2012.
Ends/Thursday, August 28, 2014
Issued at HKT 06:38
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