Summer Family Cine Fest to take families into fantastical cinematic world (with photos)
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There are 12 works in this year's Feature Films section. "Mumbo Jumbo" (2026) tells the story of a hippo named Mumbo Jumbo, who becomes a towering giant after eating a magical mushroom, and during the quest for a cure, learns about the importance of inner strength. "Tummy Tom 2: A New Friend for Tummy Tom" (2024), tells the story of a cat named Tummy Tom and its new neighbour, a dog named Woof, becoming friends. In "Miss Moxy" (2025), a pampered house cat named Moxy accidentally gets lost away from home. Finding her way back with the company of a goofy dog and an old bird, she learns to put aside her prejudices and discovers the true meaning of friendship after facing challenges.
"The Last Whale Singer" (2025) tells the story of Vincent, a humpback whale who becomes silent after losing his parents. With help of friends, he breaks free from his self-imposed shackles and triumphs over a powerful foe with his singing voice, protecting the ocean. "Rufus - The Sea Serpent Who Couldn't Swim" (2025) follows a young sea serpent, who is teased and isolated for being unable to swim, finding his courage to confront his greatest fear for saving his home from danger. In "The Songbirds' Secret" (2025), Lucie discovers that her family's secrets, which are connected to her mother's childhood trauma, are hidden in the small town that she is spending her holidays. To help her mother heal, Lucie decides to embark on an adventurous journey of uncovering secrets.
"Tales from the Magic Garden" (2025) tells the story of three siblings, following in their grandmother's footsteps by spinning thrilling and imaginative tales with boundless creativity in order to bring back joy to the family. In "Lampo the Travelling Dog 2" (2025), after recovery from surgery paid with funds raised by a celebrity dog named Lampo, Zuzia returns home only to find that her beloved Lampo has disappeared. In search of Lampo, she sets off on an adventure with friends. Inspired by the story of the pioneering paleontologist, "Mary Anning" (2025) follows the extraordinary journey of Anning's dedication to research in order to unravel the mysteries behind a cryptic fossil pattern left by her late father.
In "Vinski and the Invisibility Powder" (2021), a boy receives a bottle of magical powder and uses it only for mischief at the beginning, but eventually learns to master it to fight against criminals, and becomes the unseen hero of his home town. Exploring themes including self-image of adolescents with empathy and humour, "Living Large" (2024) follows teenager Ben, who is determined to lose weight after being bullied for his body size and embarrassed in front of his crush. In "I Accidentally Wrote a Book" (2024), Nina lost her mother from a young age. Under the guidance of a writer living next door, she learns to soothe her grief and open her heart to a new life chapter with writing.
There will be three post-screening sharing sessions by guest speakers, namely clinical psychologist and relationship therapist Dr Ken Fung, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Nicholas Chan, and Assistant Curator I (Archaeological Preservation) 2 of the Antiquities and Monuments Office Miss Lee Hiu-wai to explore child and adolescent self-identity, mythological literature, as well as palaeontology and fossils respectively. Ticket holders of the relevant screenings will be admitted with priority. Remaining seats will be open on a first-come, first-serve basis. Members of the public are welcome to queue up outside the respective screening venues 15 minutes before the sessions begin for admission.
In addition, the FPO will co-organise with the HKSpM to present the dome show, "Kitz the Cat's - Secret of the Space Station" (2024), at the Space Theatre of the HKSpM for audiences to enjoy a journey among the stars. After the screenings, audiences will be invited to join a post-screening activity at the HKSpM Lecture Hall to explore the fascinating science behind a space station featured in the film. This activity will be conducted in Cantonese.
Veteran dubbing artists Yip Ka-man and Kinson Lai will perform live Cantonese dubbing for "Mumbo Jumbo", "Tales from the Magic Garden" and "Vinski and the Invisibility Powder" with no subtitles. "Kitz the Cat's - Secret of the Space Station" is in Cantonese, with English also available through the headphone system, with no subtitles. Other films will feature Chinese and English subtitles.
Apart from the feature films, the FPO has hand-picked 21 animated short films from around the world to present three Animation & Shorts Carnival programmes, titled "Wings and Feathers", "Challenges and Fun with Bestie" and "Creative Power and Imagination". Professional actor and drama tutor Man Jai (Raymond Chan) will host the programmes and interactive activities in Cantonese.
The FPO will also present a two-day event titled Summer of Light: Cinema in Motion at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre on July 11 and 12. The event consists of free activities and ticketed workshops in which the public can participate. Details will be available in early June on the FPO website www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp.
Tickets are priced at $88 and will be available from tomorrow (May 15) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=93.
For details of other IAC programmes, please visit the website www.hkiac.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, May 14, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:55
Issued at HKT 12:55
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