The Art of Commercials is in its 28th edition! You can enjoy the best award-winning commercials from all over the world! We are excited to debut selected works from the HaHaHa Osaka Creativity Awards, which will be a joyous refreshment to the otherwise sweltering summer! We will also present selected works from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Spikes Asia, The AICP Show, the British Arrows Awards, the Seoul Creative Festival by TVCF, and the Kam Fan Awards Hong Kong.
The pandemic has left many in dire straits – with loved ones lost, jobs lost, and aspirations lost. Deadly natural disasters are brought upon different parts of the globe by climate change. This year's selection of commercials overflows with wit and sensibility – they remind us to cherish the ones who stay, the good times, and Mother Nature. Long live creativity! Keep the good vibes alive!
The programme will play host to a series of talks, which will feature experts in the world of advertising. Through these talks, we hope advertising professionals and the general audience will gain an understanding of how the art of commercials can foster creativity and discover its place in pop culture.
Programme 1: Selection from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2021
15/9 (Thu) 7:45pm
25/9 (Sun) 7:45pm
91'｜Digital｜Color｜English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic with English subtitles
The Cannes Lions is the most prestigious commercial event of the year with a run of nearly 70 years – its finalists and winners are among the best of the best. Would you rather date Satan or an AI assistant? Would you taste your pet's food to make sure it's eating right? The brand that goes around telling people to just do it continues to honour sportsmanship – if we can't win the game, change the game. Exceling for yourself is also exceling for us. A sanitary brand preaches the beauty of chaotic love – it's always a mess, but it's our mess, and there's no other place we'd rather be. Making amends is fine old fashion. A slow life is revitalising.
Programme 2: Selection from The AICP Show 2022
23/9 (Fri) 7:45pm
1/10 (Sat) 3pm*
2/10 (Sun) 3pm
95'｜Digital｜Color｜In English, no subtitles
The AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the Commercial, is more than just an awards show judging the best commercials created in the moving image. The honoured work is also preserved in The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)'s Department of Film. The AICP Show accepts entries globally, and continues to exhibit the exceptional aesthetics and techniques of advertisers that blend diverse and innovative creativity into the everyday. Paralympians tear down thick barricades of prejudice with sporty excellence and playfulness. An immersive art studio takes us on a trip of imagination to inspire new directions in reality. Frontline journalists strive to keep their sense and reason amidst extreme disorder, so they can preserve the truth – truth be told by a journalist, by a human. Don't forget to support small businesses when you buy from big brands. Fine wine inspires us to believe in time.
After-Screening Talk: Trends of Moving Image Advertising on Social Media (Tentative title)
Date and time: 1/10 (Sat) 3:00pm – after the screening of Programme 2
Guest speakers: Anita Lam (Director & Head of Industries, Meta Greater China), Janet Lee (Head of Agencies and Domestic, Google Hong Kong)
Moderator: Rudi Leung (Conducted in Cantonese).
Representatives from Meta and Google will join us to introduce the latest trends of advertising on social media. How do Facebook, Instagram and YouTube capture the eyeballs from users? How to set up the KPIs of the campaign? How to employ the effective influencer marketing strategies? All these can be answers by the social media experts with their huge experience behind.
Programme 3: Selection from the British Arrows Awards 2020 & HaHaHa Osaka Creativity Awards
18/9 (Sun) 3pm
30/9 (Fri) 7:45pm
75'｜Digital｜Color｜English and Japanese with English subtitles
The British Arrows Awards are presented annually to the best British commercials, offering a glimpse into the British society and, of course, not without British humour. For better performance, a TV station welcomes complaints. Sometimes, when something doesn't taste right, get hypnotised to make it taste like heaven on your palates. When politicians talk nonsense, it's time for people to act with wisdom. Employers can learn how to respect different employees and let them do their best. You've got to have a good sense of humour as a call centre agent!
Come join us for the laughter from Osaka, Japan! The 4th edition of the HaHaHa Osaka Creativity Awards welcomes all walks of life in Hong Kong! Our selection is full of surprises and will surely tickle your funny bone!
Based in Osaka, our awards show gathers moving image commercials from different parts of Japan. In our time of pandemic, these genki-infused works will cheer for you!
Programme 4: Selection from the Seoul Creative Festival 2021 by TVCF
22/9 (Thu) 7:45pm
1/10 (Sat) 7:30pm*
90'｜Digital｜Color｜In Korean with English subtitles
The Seoul Creative Festival is South Korea's largest festival for moving image advertisements, its winners are all local works selected by media professionals and netizens with the aim of being fair and representative of the majority. The captivating commercials are star-studded as always: Yoo Ah-in ponders on “to be, or not to be”; Youn Yuh-jung shops til' she drops; Gong Yoo's smile is still irresistible; the Queen of Korean TV drama Gong Hyo-jin's style is still impeccable; Lee Jung-jae (Gi-hun from Squid Game) eats ramen with you; and many more. Many Korean brands emphasise their company's history and integrity. To protect children, we must also protect our planet. How can government commercials help the souls of fallen soldiers of the Korean War return home?
After-Screening Talk: Korean Culture and Society in Commercials
Date and time: 1/10 (Sat) 7:30pm – after the screening of Programme 4
Guest speakers: Patrick Suen (Hallyu columnist) (Conducted in Cantonese).
The world of Korean commercials flourishes with a great variety of brands, stories, styles, and celebrities. The work tells much about Korean popular culture, society, and lifestyle. Their messages change with our time of the unprecedented pandemic. Hallyu writer will chat about these with our audience in person.
Patrick Suen, film critic, columnist, and an advisor to Korea Tourism Organization. Working in the media for 20 years, he has been writing film reviews, film-related features and columns on Korean society and culture in newspapers and magazines. He graduated with an M.Phil. in Comparative Literature from The University of Hong Kong. He has worked for various Korean directors and actors / actresses, and served as moderator and interpreter for Asian Film Awards (AFA), Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. His articles appear in Ming Pao Weekly, Apple Daily, Esquire, Sky Post and Headline Daily. He is a nomination advisor to Asian Film Awards and jury member of the 22nd and 23rd ifva awards.
Programme 5: Selection from the Kam Fan Awards Hong Kong 2021 & Spikes Asia 2022
25/9 (Sun) 3pm*
2/10 (Sun) 7:30pm
94'｜Digital｜Color｜Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Tagalog, Cantonese, Mandarin and English with English subtitle
The Kam Fan Awards continues to bring a homey local touch to our programme this year. Though life is full of uncertainty, Keung To keeps cheering for us; Dayo Wong delivers grubs to our doors during quarantine; jehjehs protect us from stormy days. In Hong Kong, one in every seven women has experienced sexual harassment, maybe even more than once in a lifetime – is there a reliable organization that they could reach out to? Inspired by The Hong Kong Film Awards, a cellphone brand encourages first-hand making of award-winning video clips.
Spikes Asia is a heated battleground for the best Asian advertisers from Thailand, Japan, The Philippines, India and so on. Asian creativity continues to wow us with “out-of-the-box” ideas: Gorillas are smarter and stronger than human beings; How far can anti-ageing go?; What happens when a woman is spotted destroying the evidence of a murder?; How can an Indian doctor achieve his dream of establishing a children's hospital in a village, while risking his life looking after Covid-infected children?; Athletes are superheroes! Now you can view these works and more on this showcase and see how these ideas came about!
After-Screening Talk: Here Comes Your Social Media Master!
Date and time: 25/9 (Sun) 3pm – after the screening of Programme 5
Guest speakers: Isaac Tang and Nelson Chiu (Co-founding directors of IN.DECIDE) (Conducted in Cantonese).
IN.DECIDE is a marketing strategy agency based in Hong Kong. Their clients include leading brands such as an international company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, Swipe Hong Kong and Calbee. They also provide other diversified digital marketing services.
Co-founding directors, Isaac Tang and Nelson Chiu, will share their professional knowledge and experiences with us in person.
Presented by: Hong Kong Arts Centre
Co-Presenter: The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong
In collaboration with: The AICP Show, British Arrows Awards, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Kam Fan Awards, Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong – Rediscovering Nippon, Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, Seoul Creative Festival by TVCF, Osaka Advertising Association, HaHaHa Osaka Creativity Awards, Spikes Asia Awards, Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong, U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau
Tickets are now available on POPTICKET.hk.
Ticket Price: $80 / $64*
All Access Pass (one ticket each for all 5 programmes) – 30% off – $280
*20% discount for tickets for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, and people with disabilities and the minder and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Concessionary ticket holders must produce evidence of their identity or age upon admission.
*20% discount to HKAC members. Ticket holders must present a valid membership card upon admission.
*20% discount for each purchase of 4 or more standard tickets.
*Only one discount offer could be applied to each ticket purchase.
