CREATIVE VISIONS: HONG KONG CINEMA 1997-2017
June 23 – June 25 • TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West)
FREE ADMISSION for all films. Reserve your tickets below.
Tickets also available before each show at the TIFF Box Office. There are no assigned seats, general admission.
In partnership with Create Hong Kong and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society with support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto (HKETO), Reel Asian presents Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017.
Creative Visions is a weekend of free Hong Kong films in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Toronto is one of only ten cities in the world selected to host this celebratory event, including Prague, Seoul, Udine, Moscow, London, Berlin, Paris, Vancouver, and Manchester.
This event will feature eight specially curated Hong Kong films from the past 20 years, and will welcome award-winning director Heiward Mak who will take part in an artist talk and will introduce her critically-acclaimed directorial debut High Noon. All artist talks and panels are free and open to the public.
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LOVE OFF THE CUFF 春嬌救志明 Love off the Cuff is the third installment of Hong Kong director Pang Ho Cheung’s Love in the Puff series. As they plan for a vacation to Taipei, Cherie (Miriam Yeung) and Jimmy (Shawn Yue) are struggling to survive the seven-year itch in their relationship. Love off the Cuff recently opened the 2017 Hong Kong International Film Festival. Variety – “The movie packs Pang’s trademark smart-ass humor, plenty of colloquial Cantonese wordplay, and a stream of cameos by dishy starlets” |
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LOVE IN A PUFF 志明與春嬌 In 2007, the Hong Kong government banned all indoor smoking forcing many workers to congregate together outside their office to satisfy their tobacco cravings. Through these smoke-filled flirty encounters, sparks fly between cosmetics sales girl Cherie (Miriam Yeung) and advertising executive Jimmy (Shawn Yue). Miriam Yeung was nominated for Best Actress from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society and Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in this film. Variety – “Pang Ho-cheung gets the balance exactly right with this well-realized vehicle for Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue, which also plays like a poem to that most cinematic of vices, smoking.”
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INFERNAL AFFAIRS 無間道 One of Hong Kong’s most iconic films, Infernal Affairs inspired Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed. Idealistic police cadet Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is recruited by Police Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong) to go undercover as a member of Hong Kong’s criminal Triad society. Crime boss Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) installs new Triad member Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau) into the same cadet class to become a long-term mole for the gang. Ten years later, both have risen through the ranks and in mortal danger of having their identities exposed. Roger Ebert – “The movie pays off in an emotional complexity rarely seen in crime movies.” |
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KUNG FU HUSTLE 功夫 When the unlucky Sing (Stephen Chow) and his dim-witted friend, Bone (Lam Chi-chung), try to trick the residents of Pig Sty Alley into thinking they’re members of the feared Axe Gang, the real gangsters invade the Shanghai slum to restore their infamy. What they don’t know is that three legendary martial arts masters have retired anonymously in the crumbling Alley and do not take kindly to interlopers. Kung Fu Hustle is the epic and hilarious follow-up to director Stephen Chow’s acclaimed Shaolin Soccer, both winning multiple international awards. Screen Rant – 5/5 stars |
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ELECTION 黑社會 As their two-year term expires, elders of the Wo Luen Shing criminal Triad society look to elect a new chairman with Lok (Simon Yam) and Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai) as prime candidates. After the calm and patient Lok is elected over the boisterous and quick-tempered Big D, Lok proposes a truce to avoid further violence, which Big D accepts, on the terms that they will be partners and Big D will be the next chairman. The partnership is initially successful, but the two are unable to hide the seething jealousy and paranoia. New York Times – “Mr. To has proven himself to be a genre hack of uncommon intelligence” |
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MADE IN HONG KONG 香港製造 After his father abandons the family, Autumn Moon (Sam Lee) drops out of high school and becomes a money collector for the Triads. He falls in love with Ping (Neiky Yim Hui-Chi), the daughter of one of the Triads’ debtors. As Ping suffers from a fatal kidney disease, Autumn Moon is determined to cover her medical expenses by taking on an assassination contract and digging deeper into the criminal underworld. BBC – “Fruit Chan’s vision of youthful nihilism still carries a heartfelt charge.” |
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THE GRANDMASTER 一代宗師 The Grandmaster is Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai’s tribute to epic martial arts master Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), the man who trained Bruce Lee. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1930s China, despite encountering many challenges and competitions, Ip Man succeeds in establishing his legendary status and spreading the influence of Wing Chun style martial arts. New York Times – “One of the truly galvanizing cinematic experiences of the year” |
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HIGH NOON 烈日當空 A provocative directorial debut by then 24-year-old Heiward Mak, High Noon follows seven high school teenagers navigating the realities of Hong Kong youth culture. Regularly skipping class, chasing girls and getting high punctuate their idle days. Director Heiward Mak will be in attendance. Heiward Mak will also have an in-depth artist talk before her film. Reserve your tickets for this talk here! Screen Anarchy – “High Noon remains visually eventful and bursts with youthful enthusiasm” |
