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HONG KONG FILM FESTIVAL 1998
An exclusive season of contemporary films from Hong Kong's leading
film-makers
Presented by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office
in association with the Australian Film Institute.
THE 1998 FESTIVAL:
The first Hong Kong Film Festival in Australia was held in Sydney and Melbourne in August
1998.In her introduction, Festival Director Sophia Wing Boccio wrote
"While the Hong Kong film industry continues to enjoy commercial and creative
successes with their explosive action-packed films, a new genre of more subtle,
thought-provoking works have also emerged in the past decade. These films are mesmerizing
festival audiences the world over, earning critical acclaim for their dynamic creativity.
As Festival Director of the first ever Hong Kong Film Festival in Australia, I have made
it my personal mission to showcase some of these important works from this special
genre."
The films shown were Fruit Chan's Made in Hong Kong, Wong
Kar-Wai's Ashes of Time, Jacob Cheung's Cagemen,
Peter Chan's Comrades Almost a Love Story, Yim Ho's
The Day the Sun Turned Cold, Shu Kei's Hu Du Men, Stanley
Kwan's Hold You Tight and two films by Ann Hui,
Eighteen Springs and Summer Snow.
All nine films screened in the Academy Twin in Paddington, Sydney; Melbourne got a
smaller five-film line-up at the State Film Theatre.
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THE GUESTS:
A Conversation on Film was held at the AFTRS in Sydney, with a number of
guests in attendance.
The title of the seminar was "An Insight Into Hong Kong Cinema":
Ann Hui |
Director/Producer |
The making of Summer Snow & Eighteen Springs |
| Yim Ho |
Director/Producer |
The making of The Day the Sun Turned Cold |
| Shu Kei |
Director/Distributor |
Independent Producer/Distributor's Perspective |
| Stephen Teo |
Author/Film Critic |
Hong Kong 90's Non-Action Cinema |
| Paul Fonoroff |
Film Critic/TV Show Host |
Predicaments of the Current Hong Kong Film Industry |
| Barbie Tung |
Producer-Golden Harvest |
Idiosyncracies of Hong Kong Action Film Production
(Production in Hong Kong and Overseas) |
| Gary Yeung |
Hong Kong Television &
Entertainment Licensing |
Facilitating the Development of the Hong Kong Film Industry |
A smaller version of this event was held in Melbourne, with Yim Ho and
Stephen Teo.
 THE CATALOG:
The Hong Kong Film Festival Official Catalog was edited by Marc
R. Pomerleau and published by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in July
1998. The 32-page boolet contains a foreword by Philip Chok (Director,
Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office), a message from the Australian Film
Institute and an introduction by Festival Director Sophia Wong Boccio
(quoted above). Following are synopses, credits and black-and-white stills from the nine
films shown, plus an excellent collection of biographical notes on Peter Chan,
Fruit Chan, Jacob Cheung, Maggie Cheung,
Ann Hui, Leon Lai, Anita Mui, Shu
Kei, Josephine Siao, Siqin Gaowa, Eric
Tsang, Wong Kar Wai, Wu Chien Lien, Chingmy
Yau, Yim Ho & Anita Yuen.
A REVIEW:
For another opinion and for some more pictures, have a look at Rino
Breebart's review of the 1998
Hong Kong Film Festival on the Toto
:: Cinema Matters website.
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H E R O I C * C I N E M A
http://www.heroic-cinema.com
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