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Since opening in 1967, Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) has acquired many old Hong Kong films, including an impressive collection of 16mm and 35mm film copies, that provide free entertainment for viewers.
To show its ardent support for the preservation of film heritage, TVB has handed over about 1,000 film titles from the 1930s to the 1990s to the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) for permanent preservation. About 60 per cent of these archival films are new to the HKFA and will consequently greatly enrich its collection.
To mark the occasion, the TVB Film Treasures Handover Ceremony was held today (November 17) at the HKFA, with the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, and the Assistant General Manager of TVB, Mr Peter Au, as officiating guests.
Film stars attending the ceremony included Ms Lee Hong-kum, Ms Helena Law, Mr Tam Ping-man, Mr Woo Fung, Mr Lee Tim-shing, Mr Michael Tse, Miss Myolie Wu, Mr Evergreen Mak, Miss Mag Lam, Ms Rebecca Zhu and others.
Mrs Betty Fung noted that the HKFA is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and with staunch support from the film industry, the HKFA has acquired over 10,000 films for its collection. For its part, the TVB film library is one of the pioneers in collecting and preserving Hong Kong's film heritage.
She thanked TVB for its generous support in handing over 937 films to the HKFA for preservation and research purposes, saying that the HKFA would treasure the films, continue its efforts in film research and showcase these archival treasures on the silver screen.
Mr Peter Au observed that the HKFA has acquired a rich collection of films and has made tremendous efforts to promote film culture. He believed that the handover of the films to the HKFA would lead to even greater sharing of its archival treasures with the public and better promote Hong Kong's film heritage.
TVB's collection is distinguished not only by its size but also by the wide variety of genres it covers. About 600 film titles, including 27 Chaozhou and Amoy dialect films, are new to the HKFA's collection. In addition, eight of the films are on the list of the HKFA¡¦s recently recommended "100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies". The handover is an important milestone in the preservation of Hong Kong's film industry.
Films to be handed over include the earliest Chinese film in TVB's library, "Little Heroine" (1939), starring Hu Rongrong and Kung Chiu-hsia; and the earliest Hong Kong film in the library, "Female Spy 76" (1947) starring Wu Lai-chu and Wang Hao. The eight films on the list of HKFA's recommended "100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies" are: "Wong Fei-hung's Whip that Smacks the Candle" (1949), "Wong Fei-hung Burns the Tyrants' Lair" (1949), "Blood-stained Azaleas" (1951), "Mysterious Murderer" (1951) parts one and two, "Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom" (1959), "Father is Back" (1961) and "The Pregnant Maiden" (1968).
Ends/Thursday, November 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:07
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