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The Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (HKETO) in Sydney, Ms Lorna Wong, told audiences in Auckland today that Hong Kong, as Asia's world city, did not only position itself as a financial centre but also as a creative industry hub.
Three Hong Kong films would be showcased at the Auckland International Film Festival this year - the second year that HKETO has been an enthusiastic cultural partner of the film festival.
Speaking this evening (July 24, Auckland time) at the reception for "Hong Kong Cinema" before the screening of "Sparrow", Ms Wong said Hong Kong movies were a very effective cultural ambassador and many people in the world got to know Hong Kong through its movies and movie stars.
"Creativity is at the heart of Hong Kong's cosmopolitan culture and no doubt our film industry has made a significant contribution towards nurturing that unique Hong Kong culture. It has groomed a large number of creative talents for Hong Kong both on-screen and off-screen over the past decades and these talents extended their movie career to other major film centres in the world, including Hollywood."
Introducing the Hong Kong films selected for the festival, Ms Wong said, "We have a strong line-up in this year's Hong Kong Cinema segment. The three films we are presenting this year are the cream of the crop. Wong Kar-wai, Stephen Chow and Johnnie To are among the most talented of Hong Kong's filmmakers and their productions have taken Hong Kong movies far beyond Hong Kong. Through them, movie lovers around the world come to appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of Hong Kong culture. Although equally talented, their creative styles are distinctly different.
"'CJ7' is Stephen Chow's latest production - a family comedy which fully shows his filmmaking flair as well as the creative team's mastery of the latest digital animation technologies. Wong Kar-wai's 'Ashes of Time Redux' is a re-edited and re-scored version of the original made in 1994. In the movie, Wong Kar-wai has given a special interpretation to the martial art genre. Johnnie To's 'Sparrow' was one of the nominees for this year's Golden Bear award in the Berlin Film Festival.กจ
Ends/Thursday, July 24, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:43
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