Latest news with #HongKongInternationalFilmFestival
HKFP
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- HKFP
Screening of Taiwanese film ‘Family Matters' axed from festival after failing to meet gov't censorship requirements
A Taiwanese film has been axed from a film festival programme after it failed to meet requirements set by the Hong Kong government's censorship requirements. The Hong Kong International Film Festival said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that it had to cancel the screening of Family Matters. The movie was scheduled for two showings, one next Saturday and another on August 18, as part of the Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival 2025. 'The screenings… have been cancelled due to the film not meeting the revision requirements set by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA),' the statement said, referring to the government department that handles public screening applications. In the past, OFNAA has required films that do not pass its initial vetting to make changes, such as editing out certain scenes. The festival organiser did not mention what the revision requirements were. HKFP has reached out to the film's Taiwanese distributor for a response. Refunds will be arranged for those who bought tickets, the organiser said. In response to HKFP, the OFNAA said it 'would not comment on the application or censorship decision of individual films.' Family Matters is Taiwanese director Pan Ke-yin's first feature film. The film revolves around a four-member family in Taiwan's historic Changhua city as they deal with issues including identity, fertility and relationship, according to its synopsis. The film was honoured with a best feature film award at the New York Asian Film Festival in late July. Hong Kong's Film Censorship Ordinance states that a film needs to obtain a 'certificate of approval' in order to be screened publicly. OFNAA is responsible for vetting applications for public film screenings. Almost four years ago, Hong Kong passed an amendment to the ordinance that allowed the banning of films deemed contrary to national security. In February, a student union at the Chinese University of Hong Kong cancelled the screening of a Burmese film set in Myanmar's ongoing civil war, citing a last-minute government warning that hosting the event may break the law. In 2023, independent short film group and festival organiser Phone Made Good Film cancelled the screening of a nine-minute film Wake In Silence. The group said that OFNAA refused to issue a permit for the scheduled screening, allegedly because the film showed a flag containing 'potentially seditious intent.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wu Ke-xi wins Best Actress at HKIFF
23 Apr - Taiwanese actress Wu Ke-xi has recently been named Best Actress at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The actress won the Firebird Award for Best Actress on 20 April for her performance in "Blue Sun Palace", which revolves around migrants living in Queens, New York. Wu, who wasn't able to attend the event due to work obligations in the US, dedicated the award to all who live and work in a foreign country. "You are not alone," she said. "All the suffering or pain will pass, and become nutrients for you to become a better self." The judges' reason for the award was that it was a story about the ideals of a group of people living in a foreign land. "They brought to life the vicissitudes, powerlessness and wandering of the shared destiny of immigrants, allowing the audience to be more deeply immersed in a world where women are oppressed by reality. Wu's smart performances in the film are indispensable and won unanimous recognition from the judges." This marks Wu's first award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. (Photo Source: Wu Ke-xi IG, IMDb)
South China Morning Post
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Catch cinematic gold at Hong Kong International Film Festival 2025
Sit back and break out the popcorn as the 49th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) prepares to fire up the projectors from April 10 to 21. The 2025 edition of one of Asia's oldest cinematic events will screen nearly 200 films from 69 countries and regions, including six world premieres, two international premieres and 52 Asian premieres. A still from Louis Koo Tin-lok's Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Photo: courtesy Entertaining Power Co Limited HKIFF's main draw this year is Louis Koo Tin-lok , who has become a household name over a 32-year career producing movies as well as starring in some of Hong Kong's biggest box-office successes of recent years, including Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024). As the festival's Filmmaker in Focus, Koo will present 10 films he has starred in alongside a commemorative book. Advertisement Joining Koo in the role of official ambassador is Hong Kong Film Awards and Taipei Golden Horse Awards best-actress nominee Angela Yuen Lai-lam. Hidetoshi Nishijima in a still from The Brightest Sun. Photo: courtesy Sony Pictures Festival openers will be The Brightest Sun (2025), which marks Japanese director Tetsuya Nakashima's first film in seven years, followed by Pavane for an Infant (2024), by Malaysian filmmaker Chong Keat Aun, which casts actress Fish Liew Chi Yu in a drama exploring the country's abandoned baby crisis. Other films to catch include Shoplifters (2018) and 100 Yen Love (2014) starring Sakura Ando, who will present her latest film, Bad Lands (2023); and Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra's documentary Afternoons of Solitude (2024), an introspective portrayal of a matador that won the Golden Shell award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Finnish auteur Juho Kuosmanen will also be in town as part of HKIFF's Meet the Filmmaker series, where he will introduce his Silent Trilogy (2024), consisting of three shorts. Filipina actress Nora Aunor in a still from Bona. Photo: courtesy V Productions Hot on the heels of Tilda Swinton's recent visit to M+ to promote the art of film restoration, HKIFF will feature a slew of restored masterpieces throughout the programme, ranging from Akira Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai (1954), which has been revitalised in 4K to commemorate its 70th anniversary, as well as Filipino filmmaker Lino Brocka's lost 1980 masterpiece Bona, which has been restored and is being shown for the first time in more than four decades. Advertisement
