Special focus showcases Hong Kong cinema at Osaka Asian Film Festival (with photos)
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     Six Hong Kong movies are being presented in the Osaka Asian Film Festival in Japan from March 7 to 16, showcasing the vibrancy of Hong Kong's film industry to Japanese movie lovers.

     With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Tokyo and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the festival this year is running a special programme entitled "Special Focus on Hong Kong" for the third time in a row.

     The six selected movies include three by up-and-coming filmmakers - "A Complicated Story", "Bends" and "The Way We Dance" - as well as three golden oldies from the 1960s and 1970s. The special screenings of the three classics, namely "Come Drink with Me", "One-Armed Swordsman" and "The Flying Guillotine", are being held in memory of film empire founder Sir Run Run Shaw, who passed away earlier this year.

     To mark the occasion, a "Hong Kong Night" was held this evening (March 14), during which "A Complicated Story", directed by first-time director Kiwi Chow, was shown to some 300 movie fans.

     Speaking at the "Hong Kong Night" reception, the Principal Hong Kong Economic and Trade Representative (Tokyo), Ms Sally Wong, said that in the free and dynamic city of Hong Kong, with a free flow of information and freedom of expression, the film industry and the creativity and innovation of its film talents have continued to flourish.

     "Hong Kong has one of the largest and most dynamic film entertainment industries in the world. In the past 10 years alone, Hong Kong movies and film talents have won over 300 international awards."

     Emphasising that the Government is keen to promote the creative industries, the arts and cultural development, Ms Wong pointed out that the three recent movies, "A Complicated Story", "Bends" and "The Way We Dance", selected for screening in the festival were all supported by the Film Development Fund.

     She added that the implementation of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement is another important factor that reinforces Hong Kong's leading role as Asia's media hub.

     "This Arrangement has significantly broadened the horizons for Hong Kong's film industry. In 2013, five of the top 10 box office hits of the Chinese films in the Mainland were joint productions of Hong Kong and the Mainland," she said.

     At the reception, Ms Wong was joined by Hong Kong film talents whose works have been selected for screening in the film festival.

     In conjunction with the "Special Focus on Hong Kong" programme, the HKETO is also organising an exhibition entitled "Hong Kong in Miniature", to be held from tomorrow (March 15) to March 23 in a shopping complex in Osaka. The exhibition will feature 38 miniature models that capture the uniqueness of various aspects of life in Hong Kong.

Ends/Friday, March 14, 2014
Issued at HKT 22:39

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