47th Hong Kong International Film Festival

The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival (Chinese: 第47屆香港國際電影節) took place from 30 March to 10 April 2023, both online and in-person in Hong Kong. Soi Cheang was selected as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and masterclasses led by Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng were featured.

47th Hong Kong International Film Festival
HKIFF official poster
Opening film
Closing filmVital Signs by Cheuk Wan-chi
LocationHong Kong Cultural Centre
Founded1977
Awards
Hosted by
  • Supported by:
  • The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society
  • Create Hong Kong
Festival dateOpening: March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30)
Closing: April 10, 2023 (2023-04-10)
WebsiteHKIFF 2023
Hong Kong International Film Festival
46th

The festival opened with the Hong Kong mystery thriller Mad Fate by Soi Cheang and the documentary Elegies by Ann Hui, and it closed with the Hong Kong drama Vital Signs by Cheuk Wan-chi. This year, 197 films from 64 countries were screened, including nine world premieres, six international premieres, and sixty-seven Asian premieres. Aaron Kwok returned as the ambassador of HKIFF, marking his fifth year in this role.

Background

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The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival was the first edition to return to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The theme of this edition is "Never Stops".[2] The festival poster was designed by Frank Chan, who also created the posters for the previous two editions.[3][4] It features little egrets, making it the third edition to use a Hong Kong bird in the design (following the barn swallow in the 45th and the tree sparrow in the 46th), which symbolizes a pursuit of beauty and nature, as well as a sign of fortune.[3][4] On 1 February 2023, Aaron Kwok was announced to return as the ambassador of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, marking his fifth year in this role.[5][6] Kwok described 2022 as "a year of harvest", with many Hong Kong films achieving both box office success and critical acclaim, and expressed a hope that the film industry could help society emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] This year was Kwok's final term as ambassador, with his title being succeeded by Karena Lam in the next edition.[7]

Soi Cheang was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the festival on 3 February.[8][9] Albert Lee, the executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, explained that Cheang was chosen for his notably somber yet unmistakably personal visual style, which rarely deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions while exploring new boundaries in Hong Kong genre filmmaking.[10] Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang and his frequent collaborator Lee Kang-sheng were also announced as features in the Masterclass section and would be attending the festival in person.[11][12] A press conference held on 10 March revealed the full lineup and the titles of the competitive sections.[13]

The film festival opened on 30 March 2023 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with Soi Cheang's mystery thriller Mad Fate and Ann Hui's documentary Elegies.[14][15] The festival was held both physically and online, with physical screenings priced at around $55 to $100 HKD, while online screenings were set at $50 HKD.[16] A total of 197 films from 64 countries were screened,[15] including nine world premieres, six international premieres, and sixty-seven Asian premieres.[11][17] The film festival was part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, which featured events such as the 16th Asian Film Awards and the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards taking place concurrently.[18]

The Japanese drama Stonewalling by Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language), while the Mexican-Danish-French drama Tótem by Lila Avilés won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (World).[11][19] The Danish-Polish documentary Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Glob received the Firebird Award for Documentary Competition.[11][19] The FIPRESCI Prize was also awarded to Stonewalling, while the Taiwanese film Bad Education by Kai Ko received a Special Mention.[20] The festival closed with the Hong Kong medical drama Vital Signs by Cheuk Wan-chi on 10 April.[11]

Jury

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The jury of the Firebird Awards comprises:[21]

Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language)

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  • Hsu Hsiao-ming, Taiwanese filmmaker
  • Zhang Lü, Chinese filmmaker
  • Mary Stephen, a French-based Hong Kong film editor

Young Cinema Competition (World)

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  • Ann Hui, Hong Kong filmmaker
  • Emmanuel Burdeau, French film critic
  • Clarence Tsui, Hong Kong film critic

Documentary Competition

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Program sections

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Opening and closing films

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The following films were chosen as the opening and closing features of the film festival, marking the Asian premiere of Mad Fate and world premieres of Elegies and Vital Signs:[12][17]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Opening film
Mad Fate 命案 Soi Cheang Hong Kong
Elegies Ann Hui
Closing film
Vital Signs 送院途中 Cheuk Wan-chi Hong Kong

Gala Presentation

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The following films have been selected for screening in the Gala Presentation section:[17]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Afire Roter Himmel Christian Petzold Germany
Aftersun Charlotte Wells United Kingdom, United States
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Laura Poitras United States

Cinephile Paradise

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The following films have been selected for screening in the Cinephile Paradise section:[22]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
The Beasts As bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen Spain, France
Corsage Marie Kreutzer Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France
The Eight Mountains Le otto montagne Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch Italy, Belgium, France
Plan 75 Chie Hayakawa Japan, France, Philippines
Saint Omer Alice Diop France
Stars at Noon Claire Denis France
Subtraction تفریق Mani Haghighi Iran
World War III جنگ جهانی سوم Houman Seyyedi Iran

Firebird Awards

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Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language)

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The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) at the Firebird Awards.[11] Stonewalling emerged as the winner, with Huang Xiaoxiong also named Best Actress for her performance in the film. Hong Heng-fai was named Best Director for Kissing the Ground You Walked On, and Li Xuejian received the Best Actor award for To Love Again.[19][23] Bad Education was given a Special Mention.

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Absence 雪雲 Wu Lang China
Bad Education 黑的教育 Kai Ko Taiwan
Coo-Coo 043 一家子兒咕咕叫 Chan Ching-lin Taiwan
Kissing the Ground You Walked On 海鷗來過的房間 Hong Heng-fai Macau
Night Falls 夜幕將至 Jian Haodong China
Stonewalling 石門 Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka Japan
To Love Again 再團圓 Gao Linyang China
Tomorrow Is a Long Time 明天比昨天長久 Jow Zhi Wei Singapore, Taiwan, France, Portugal

Young Cinema Competition (World)

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The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (World) at the Firebird Awards.[11] Tótem emerged as the winner, with Martín Benchimol awarded Best Director for his debut The Castle. Mirko Giannini was named Best Actor for his role in Astrakan, while the ensemble female cast received the Best Actress award for 20,000 Species of Bees.[19][23]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
20,000 Species of Bees 20.000 especies de abejas Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Spain
Animalia Sofia Alaoui France, Morocco, Qatar
Astrakan David Depesseville France
Autobiography Makbul Mubarak Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland
The Cage is Looking for a Bird Kletka ishet ptitsu Malika Musaeva France, Russia
The Castle El castillo Martín Benchimol Argentina, France
Disco Boy Giacomo Abbruzzese France, Italy, Belgium, Poland
Tótem ماء العين Lila Avilés Mexico, Denmark, France

Documentary Competition

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The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Documentary) at the Firebird Awards. Apolonia, Apolonia emerged as the winner, while The Hamlet Syndrome received the jury prize.[19][23]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Apolonia, Apolonia Lea Glob Denmark, Poland
The Echo El eco Tatiana Huezo Mexico, Germany
Fledglings Pisklaki Lidia Duda Poland
The Hamlet Syndrome Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosołowski Poland, Germany
A Holy Family 神人之家 Elvis Lu Taiwan
Paradise Paradis Alexander Abaturov France, Switzerland
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood Savvusanna sõsarad Anna Hints Estonia, France, Iceland
A Still Small Voice Luke Lorentzen United States

Pan-Chinese Cinema

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Filmmaker in Focus

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Soi Cheang was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the film festival on 3 February 2023, showcasing twelve of his previous works:[9][10]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
Our Last Day 第100日 Soi Cheang 1999 Hong Kong
Diamond Hill 發光石頭 2000
Horror Hotline... Big Head Monster 恐怖熱線之大頭怪嬰 2001
New Blood 熱血青年 2002
Love Battlefield 愛·作戰 2004
Home Sweet Home 怪物 2005
Dog Bite Dog 狗咬狗 2006
Shamo 軍雞 2007
Accident 意外 2009
Motorway 車手 2012
SPL II: A Time for Consequences 殺破狼2 2015
Limbo 智齒 2021

Chinese-language Restored Classics

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Four restored Chinese classics were showcased as part of a sidebar at the film festival:[17]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
Nomad (Director's cut) 烈火青春 Patrick Tam 1982 Hong Kong
A City of Sadness 悲情城市 Hou Hsiao-hsien 1989 Taiwan
Dust of Angels 少年吔,安啦! Hsu Hsiao-ming 1992
A Confucian Confusion 獨立時代 Edward Yang 1994

Masters and Auteurs

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The Masters

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The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, including two works by Tsai Ming-Liang, who attended the festival in person to host a masterclass:[11][22]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
A Couple Un couple Frederick Wiseman France, United States
Fairytale Сказка Alexander Sokurov Russia, Belgium
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft Werner Herzog France, United Kingdom, Switzerland
Theater of Thought United States
Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert Margarethe von Trotta Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria
In Water 물안에서 Hong Sang-soo South Korea
R.M.N. Cristian Mungiu Romania, France, Belgium
Sparta Ulrich Seidl Austria, France, Germany
Where 何處 Tsai Ming-liang Taiwan
Where do you stand, Tsai Ming-Liang? 身在何處

Les Auteurs

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The following films have been selected for screening in the Les Auteurs section:[22]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Assault Shturm Adilkhan Yerzhanov Kazakhstan, Russia
Drift Anthony Chen France, Greece, United Kingdom
Eastern Front Shidniy front Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko Latvia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, United States
Flotsam and Jetsam 夏日天空的那匹紅馬 Chang Tso-chi Taiwan
Here Bas Devos Belgium
The Hotel Wang Xiaoshuai China, Thailand
The Natural History of Destruction Sergei Loznitsa Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands
Music Angela Schanelec Germany, France, Serbia
Our Body Notre Corps Claire Simon France
The Shadowless Tower 白塔之光 Zhang Lü China
Tchaikovsky's Wife Жена Чайковского Kirill Serebrennikov Russia, France, Switzerland

Global Vision

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The following films have been selected for screening in the Global Vision section:[22]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
The Blue Caftan أزرق القفطان Maryam Touzani France, Morocco, Belgium, Denmark
Burning Days Kurak Günler Emin Alper Turkey, France
The Dam Le barrage Ali Cherri France, Sudan, Lebano, Germany, Serbia
Domingo and the Mist Domingo y la niebla Ariel Escalante Meza Costa Rica
Falcon Lake Charlotte Le Bon Canada, France
The Happiest Man in the World NajsreЌniot čovek na svetot Teona Strugar Mitevska North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark
I Have Electric Dreams Tengo sueños eléctricos Valentina Maurel Costa Rica, Belgium, France
Life Жизнь Emir Baigazin Kazakhstan
Metronom Alexandru Belc Romania, France
The Mountain La montagne Thomas Salvador France
Mountain Woman 山女 Takeshi Fukunaga Japan
Seventeeners Hadinelentu Prithvi Konanur India
Trenque Lauquen Laura Citarella Argentina, Germany
Victim Oběť Michal Blaško Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany
War Pony Riley Keough, Gina Gammell United States
White Paradise Les Survivants Guillaume Renusson France
The Worst Ones Les Pires Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret

Nordic Lights

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A new special section titled "Nordic Lights" was introduced in this edition of the festival, showcasing works from Nordic cinema:[17][22]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Compartment No. 6 Hytti nro 6 Juho Kuosmanen Finland, Germany, Estonia, Russia
Godland Volaða land Hlynur Pálmason Iceland, Denmark, France, Sweden
The Great Silence Den Store Stilhed Katrine Brocks Denmark
Sick of Myself Syk pike Kristoffer Borgli Norway, Sweden
Unruly Ustyrlig Malou Reymann Denmark
The Woodcutter Story Metsurin tarina Mikko Myllylahti Finland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
The Kingdom: Exodus (Episode 1–5) Riget Exodus Lars von Trier Denmark

Fantastic Beats

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The following films have been selected for screening in the Fantastic Beats section:

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Ref.
Marry My Dead Body 關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事 Cheng Wei-hao Taiwan [24]
Bad Education 黑的教育 Kai Ko [25]
I Am What I Am そばかす Shinya Tamada Japan [16]
My Love Affair with Marriage Signe Baumane Latvia, United States, Luxembourg [26]
Egoist エゴイスト Matsunaga Daishi Japan [16]
Do Unto Others ロストケア Tetsu Maeda
You & Me & Me เธอกับฉันกับฉัน Wanweaw Hongvivatana, Weawwan Hongvivatana Thailand [26]

Focus

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The Complete Itami Juzo Directorial Retrospective

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Digitally remastered 4K versions of all ten feature films made by Japanese filmmaker Juzo Itami were showcased at the festival:[1][27]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
The Funeral お葬式 Juzo Itami 1984 Japan
Tampopo タンポポ 1985
A Taxing Woman マルサの女 1987
A Taxing Woman's Return マルサの女2 1988
A-Ge-Man: Tales of a Golden Geisha あげまん 1990
Minbo ミンボーの女 1992
Daibyonin 大病人 1993
A Quiet Life 静かな生活 1995
Supermarket Woman スーパーの女 1996
Marutai マルタイの女 1997

Jean-Luc Godard x Anna Karina: A Retrospective

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To commemorate the passing of French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, eight feature films made by Godard and his muse and ex-wife, Hanne Karin Bayer, were showcased at the festival:[28]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
The Little Soldier Le petit soldat Jean-Luc Godard 1963 France
A Woman Is a Woman Une femme est une femme 1961
My Life to Live Vivre sa vie 1962
Band of Outsiders Bande à part 1964
Alphaville 1965
Pierrot le Fou
Made in U.S.A. 1966
The Oldest Profession: Anticipation 1967 France, Germany, Italy

References

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  2. ^ 付鈺; 朱樂怡 (April 3, 2023). "第47屆香港國際電影節揭幕 今年明星都有誰?". Hong Kong China News Agency (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
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  20. ^ Rosser, Michael (April 10, 2023). "'Stonewalling', 'Totem' win top Hong Kong Firebird Awards". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
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  26. ^ a b "Hong Kong International Film Festival seeks to inspire with fantastic beats, including Taiwan's "Bad Education"". UK-China Film Collab. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  27. ^ Scott, Matthew (March 31, 2023). "City lights". China Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
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