Latest news with #LouisKooTin-lok
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
South China Morning Post
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong International Film Festival 2025 highlights: 12 must-see movies and programmes
Opening on April 10, the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival is a 12-day cinematic showcase of award winners and crowd pleasers from across the globe. Advertisement While there is a notable lack of new Hong Kong films debuting at this year's edition, the exciting and eclectic line-up boasts nearly 200 films. These include more than 50 Asian premieres, a celebration of actor Louis Koo Tin-lok 's impact on the Hong Kong film industry as a producer, and a smorgasbord of restored international classics. Cinematic luminaries such as French auteur Leos Carax, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra and Japanese actress Sakura Ando will be in attendance. Below are 12 highlights not to be missed from this year's festival. 1. The Brightest Sun (opening film) Hidetoshi Nishijima in a still from The Brightest Sun. Celebrated for his dazzling virtuoso style in such films as Memories of Matsuko and Confessions, Japanese maximalist auteur Tetsuya Nakashima returns with his first feature in seven years.
South China Morning Post
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Beauty in chaos: Japanese hail Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City film exhibition
Published: 12:00pm, 23 Feb 2025 Japanese visitors are among thousands of people caught up in a wave of nostalgia and flocking to an exhibition linked to the Hong Kong box office hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. The martial arts action film set in the 1980s earned 100 million yen (US$666,900) in three weeks after opening in Japan on January 17, making it the highest-grossing Hong Kong film there in five years. Directed by Soi Cheang Pou-soi and starring Louis Koo Tin-lok and Sammo Hung Kam-bo, the film follows a troubled mainland Chinese migrant caught between rival gangs in the Kowloon Walled City, a densely populated enclave notorious for illegal structures and criminal activities before it was torn down in the mid-1990s. The blockbuster grossed HK$107 million (US$13.8 million) in Hong Kong after its release last year, putting it in third place among the best-performing locally made films of all time after last year's A Guilty Conscience and 2023's The Last Dance . Since the middle of December, an immersive exhibition at the Airside shopping centre in Kai Tak, near the location of the original walled city, has brought the film sets to life, allowing visitors to get a feel for the enclave. Japanese tourists were among the 180,000 people who have visited the exhibition since it opened on December 16, according to the Tourism Board, which is hoping more locally made films will boost overall arrival numbers.
South China Morning Post
16-02-2025
- South China Morning Post
Study Buddy (Explorer): Crime-themed attractions popular with tourists
Content provided by British Council Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below: [1] Attractions to do with law and crime – such as Hong Kong's 1974 ICAC Cafe and the Abashiri Prison Museum in Japan – are drawing a growing number of tourists. [2] Official data shows that Hong Kong received over 290,000 visitors during New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year. More than 77 per cent were from mainland China. These tourists shared their Hong Kong holiday experiences on social media platforms. [3] In January, topics related to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Cafe made headlines after attracting more than 200,000 views on one high-profile platform where users called it a 'must-visit spot for Hong Kong TV drama fans'. [4] The agency's work has inspired many popular productions, such as the film Z Storm featuring Louis Koo Tin-lok and the television drama Mission Run with Bosco Wong. [5] The cafe opened in November last year and is located at the ICAC headquarters in North Point. It's named after the year the anti-corruption agency was founded, 1974. The cafe serves three coffee varieties made with different beans. The drink names – integrity, confidentiality and sincerity – reference the agency's core principles. One cup of black coffee costs HK$22 (US$3). [6] The brew is symbolic of the ICAC's operations. In Hong Kong, being 'invited for coffee' is a euphemism for being invited for questioning by the anti-corruption agency. [7] One visitor described the black coffee as 'very sour and bitter' and said: 'It makes sense. One sip, and any criminal would confess everything.' Another said they were finally able to 'legally' have coffee at the ICAC without getting into any trouble: 'As a Hong Kong TV drama fan, this is pure bliss!' [8] Visitors can take selfies at a photo booth and get an ICAC Pass. The cafe also offers merchandise – including ICAC-themed badges, mugs and tote bags – from HK$20 to HK$110 (US$2 to US$14). One mainland visitor praised the friendly staff and their fluency in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. Another guest called the cafe 'an innovative approach to public legal education' and the agency 'the backbone' of the city's legal system. [9] Another government institution-themed attraction is Japan's unique Prison Museum in Hokkaido. A former prison, the converted museum charges 1,500 yen (HK$77 or US$9.87) for adult entry and offers a glimpse into Japan's correctional history. [10] Visitors can explore prison cells, guard rooms and soy sauce brewing factories where inmates once worked. For 950 yen (HK$49 or US$6.25), guests can even try an authentic inmate meal featuring barley rice, grilled Pacific saury and side dishes. The museum also offers the chance to take 'prisoner photos' and sells inmate-made products such as dolls and keychains. Source: South China Morning Post, January 18 Questions 1. What do the ICAC Cafe and Prison Museum have in common, according to paragraphs 1 and 2? A. They have a crime theme. B. They are more popular with locals than tourists. C. Most of the tourists who visit these places are from mainland China. D. None of the above 2. What does the 'must-visit spot for Hong Kong TV drama fans' in paragraph 3 refer to? 3. Decide whether the following statements according to paragraphs 4 and 5 are True, False or the information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks) (i) The cafe is located in the same building as the actual ICAC headquarters. (ii) Mission Run and Z Storm were released in the same year. (iii) The cafe is named after one of the founders of ICAC. (iv) The agency has moved three times since it was founded. 4. In paragraph 5, what is the significance of the coffee drinks' names? 5. Based on your understanding of paragraph 6, someone is most likely to feel … when they are 'invited for coffee'. A. excited B. anxious C. angry D. indifferent 6. Find a word in paragraph 7 that means 'to admit that you have done something wrong'. 7. How much does one tote bag cost, according to paragraph 8? A. HK$20 B. HK$50 C. HK$110 D. Information not given 8. According to paragraph 9, what did Japan's Prison Museum used to be? 9. In paragraph 10, what can visitors get for 950 yen? A. a guided tour of the museum B. a workshop on soy sauce brewing C. an inmate meal D. a set of 'prisoner photos' Louis Koo (left) and Gordon Lam in a scene from the 2014 Hong Kong action thriller film 'Z Storm'. Photo: Handout Answers 1. A 2. ICAC Cafe / 1974 Cafe (any one) 3. (i) T; (ii) NG; (iii) F; (iv) NG 4. They are named after the core principles of the ICAC. 5. B 6. confess 7. D 8. a prison 9. C
