Focus Hong Kong is a new UK film festival dedicated to celebrating the amazing cinema and filmmakers of Hong Kong, from early works to the glory days of its reign as the Hollywood of Asia, through to new and exciting films. Focus Hong Kong screens a wide range of new releases and classics, films which are vibrant, exciting, innovative and artistic, and which above all are uniquely Hong Kong. The festival launches with an online Chinese New Year event, followed by a further screening programme in late March.
The first edition of the festival runs online from 9th to 15th February 2021, giving audiences across the UK the chance to celebrate Chinese New Year with a fantastic selection of new and classic Hong Kong films. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London is the major partner of Focus Hong Kong, powered by Shift 72's Festival Scope system and run by the team behind Chinese Visual Festival (CVF), which has been bringing the best in Chinese language cinema to UK audiences since 2011.
For its Chinese New Year edition, Focus Hong Kong features an exciting line-up of films, all of which are UK online premieres, including a brand new 2K restoration of Tsui Hark's immortal fantasy wuxia classic Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, acclaimed contemporary anthology Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash them Down, offbeat murder mystery A Witness out of the Blue, the latest film from Andrew Fung, dark psychodrama Till We Meet Again, and the thrilling martial arts drama The Empty Hands, starring Stephy Tang and Chapman To. The festival also features a free to view selection of short films from the Hong Kong Fresh Wave Competition, renowned as the hothouse for future talent in the Hong Kong industry.
Miss Winky So, Director-General of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office London, said, “Our office is delighted to sponsor the Focus Hong Kong, a brand new film festival that showcases the dynamic film industry of Hong Kong in the UK during the festive season of the Chinese New Year.”
Films are available either individually or as part of a specially-priced Festival Pass, and tickets are on sale now on the Focus Hong Kong Festival Scope platform
ABOUT FOCUS HONG KONG
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London is the major partner of Focus Hong Kong, run by Chinese Visual Festival(CVF), which has been bringing the best in Chinese language cinema to UK audiences since 2011. Hong Kong cinema has been part of CVF from its inception, with the festival featuring premieres and retrospective screenings of a long list of films, with key talent including the legendary Stanley Kwan, Jun Li, Shu Kei, Jennifer Yu, Cheung King-wai, Nicole Chan, Sunny Chan and others having been brought to the UK.
The success of the CVF Hong Kong programme has inspired the launch of Focus Hong Kong, offering UK audiences even more fantastic films and opportunities to interact with guests from Hong Kong in the future. Focus Hong Kong will take place initially online as part of a new and innovative platform to explore the many facets of Hong Kong cinema. Through presenting new hits, retro classics, independent and arthouse films, documentaries, shorts and visual art to UK audiences, as well as the talents behind these productions, Focus Hong Kong highlights the creativity of Hong Kong's filmmakers and promotes the continuing development of the Hong Kong film industry.
