*********************************************************
Hong Kong legendary director Patrick Lung Kong was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the Hong Kong cinema at the opening of a namesake retrospective in New York on August 15 (New York time).
Internationally famed Hong Kong director Tsui Hark specially flew in to present Lung Kong with the award at the "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Cinema of Patrick Lung Kong" retrospective, which was sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (HKETONY).
The Director of HKETONY, Mr Steve Barclay, speaking at the opening reception attended by about 200 guests, said that Patrick Lung Kong was a visionary director with strong belief in the power of movies.
"He cared deeply about Hong Kong and this is reflected in his films that defined Hong Kong cinema in the 1970s. His movies carry provoking, simple but universal themes such as the desire for peace, and address social issues. He was often ahead of his times, raising awareness and calling for action in making the world a better one.
"The influence of Patrick Lung Kong's films transcends borders and time. It is no exaggeration to say that Patrick Lung Kong inspired and influenced a number of New Wave directors who have made their mark in Hollywood and elsewhere in the international movie arena," said Mr Barclay.
Kicking off the retrospective is "Story of a Discharged Prisoner" (1967), which is the inspiration behind "A Better Tomorrow" (1986) by John Woo and Tsui Hark. "A Better Tomorrow" is a multiple-award winning film, including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actor in various film festivals.
Director Woo, who directed the award-winning Hollywood films "Face/Off" (1998) and "Red Cliff II" (2010), sent a video greeting to pay tribute to the influence of Patrick Lung Kong to his films (youtu.be/p7r8b9IdHnY).
Patrick Lung Kong will meet the audience in the screenings on August 16-17, and join Tsui Hark in the talk about "A Better Tomorrow" on August 16.
The Retrospective, presented in collaboration with the Museum of the Moving Image and the New York Asian Film Festival, runs from August 15-24. The other seven films to be screened include "Teddy Girls", "Hiroshima 28", "Love Massacre", "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow", "The Window", "Pei Shih" and "Mitra".
Ends/Saturday, August 16, 2014
Issued at HKT 22:51
NNNN
