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An exhibition entitled "The Great Entertainer - The Heyday of Cinema City", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is being held from today (April 8) to June 19 at the HKFA Exhibition Hall. The exhibition looks at the heyday of Cinema City Company Limited, a groundbreaking company in the history of Hong Kong cinema, during the 1980s. Admission is free.
The opening ceremony was held today with some of the creative masterminds of Cinema City in attendance, namely Karl Maka, Dean Shek, Raymond Wong, Teddy Robin and Nansun Shi, as well as other film personalities. Also present were Senior Vice President of Fortune Star Media Limited, the partner organisation of the programme, Ms Judy Chan, and Chief Manager (Film and Cultural Exchange) of the LCSD, Ms Maggie Pang.
The highlight of the exhibition is a reconstruction of the "War Room", where the seven creative masterminds of Cinema City created countless memorable films. Five of them also shared their fond memories of the times they spent inside the room at the ceremony. In addition to reviewing Cinema City's development under the leadership of the "Team of Seven", "The 80s Carnival" section examines the company's positioning in the film industry and its creativity, while the "The Star-Studded Stage" section focuses on their successful remake of film stars and discovery of new talents. The exhibition also showcases interviews with key Cinema City figures as well as valuable artifacts and photographs.
Founded in the early 1980s by Karl Maka, Dean Shek and Raymond Wong, Cinema City was later joined by Eric Tsang, Tsui Hark, Teddy Robin and Nansun Shi, together forming a new force in the local film industry. A box office guarantee in the 1980s, Cinema City was the brainchild of the seven multi-disciplinary stars who were variously film producers, scriptwriters and directors, actors and musicians. The "Team of Seven" created numerous classic works inside the "War Room", including "Aces Go Places" (1982), "The Happy Ghost" (1984), "A Better Tomorrow" (1986) and "Prison on Fire" (1987), leading the Hong Kong film industry into a golden era.
In addition to the exhibition, the screening programme "The Wit and Wisdom of Cinema City" will showcase 28 masterpieces produced by Cinema City in the 1980s at the HKFA Cinema from April to May, complemented by four free seminars. Film tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. Details of film screenings and seminars are available at www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2016wwcc/film.html .
For enquiries about the exhibition, please call 2739 2139 or browse the website of the HKFA at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/highlights/highlights40.html.
Ends/Friday, April 8, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:09
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