This article was first published in Cinematik
Co-produced Baishenchuanmei
Author: Wen Dao
Bidding farewell to Berlin in February, we will welcome another film festival event, The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), which runs from March 19 to April 5 this year.
Yesterday, the official announcement of the complete list of screening films, there are many premiere new films and classics worth your "skipping class/class" to see.
Ticketing time: March 2 (Friday) 10:00 a.m.!
If you haven't chosen one yet, you can refer to our recommendations below.
The main poster of the 42nd Hong Kong International Film Festival
The main poster of this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival was designed by graphic designer Huang Xinman (who had designed posters for films such as "2046", "Eros", "Spring Break") himself, which is also the third consecutive year that he has designed the main poster for the festival, and like the previous two editions, this poster still maintains his unique design style, simple composition, and traditional "origami" elements, perfectly handing in an answer sheet with the theme of "Firebird Soaring".
Yoji Yamada's "Family Affliction 3" will premiere worldwide at the festival
There are two opening films of the film festival, "Hospitality" and "Xiaomei", and the closing film is the new work "Family Suffering 3" from Japanese director Yoji Yamada, which is a must-see, it is the world premiere, nearly two months earlier than the Japanese theater line, and the director and the lead actor also have a post-screening meeting, which is a must-lose opportunity.
<h1>"Feast of Stars"</h1>
Fan Carnival
This link is one of the blockbusters, many of the films in the film list are the award-winning works of the three major European film festivals last year, which should not be missed, and the following is a brief introduction for everyone.
Foxtrot
Hong Kong translation: Battlefield Foxtrot
Foxtrot（2017）
Director: Samuel Mautz
Last year's Venice Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, Israeli director Samuel Mautz's second feature film, his debut work "Lebanon" started super high, the Venice Golden Lion Award. This new work adopts a three-act drama structure and confronts the relationship between war and family. Word of mouth is good, and Rotten Tomatoes freshness is currently maintained at a high score of 98%.
"Humiliation"
Hong Kong Translation: Give me an apology
The Insult（2017）
Director: Zidd Doerry
The Venice department, which has an equally good reputation, is currently 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and the actor Carmel Basha has also won the Best Actor Award for this film, and the film has also represented Lebanon in the nomination list for this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
"Out of Thin Air"
Hong Kong translation: Righteous dark angle
In the Fade（2017）
Directed by: Fatih Akin
Last year's Cannes department, Diane Kruger's posthumous work, directed by Fatih Akin, who won the Berlin Golden Bear, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in a Film. The story tells that Katya, played by Diane Kruger, runs around seeking justice for her husband and son lost in the bombing, and she embarks on the road to revenge after running into a wall and becoming helpless.
"You've Never Been Here"
Hong Kong Translation: Lone Star
You Were Never Really Here（2017）
Director: Lynn Ramsey
This can be said to be the cannes system that can most lose the appetite of fans last year, and the posters are out one after another, but they don't have the opportunity to see the finished film. Directed by British female director Lynn Ramsey, she won two awards at Last Year's Cannes, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Jocquin Phoenix).
"Disobedience"
Hong Kong translation: Rebellious Lily
Disobedience（2017）
Directed by: Sebastian Lerio
A new LGBT work by Chilean director Sebastian Lirio, the director of another new film last year, "Ordinary Woman", won the Berlin Teddy Bear Award for Best Film and was also nominated for this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The story of "Disobedience" focuses on two heroines who were once girlfriends, who rekindled their love after meeting in their hometown, and the two Rachel (Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weiz) partnered, which was quite interesting and was also the Asian premiere.
In addition, there are Sean Baker's "Florida Paradise" (Hong Kong translation: "Welcome to dream paradise", there is a director's meeting), as well as Augustus Lansmoos's Cannes best screenplay work "The Death of the Holy Deer" (Hong Kong translation: "Holy Deer Hunting"), the Venice Jury Special Award "Sweet Country" (Hong Kong translation: "Desert Enmity"), Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Walking Invaders" and other works, these are estimated to have been read by everyone for a long time, and they will not be introduced one by one.
<h1>"Masters and Authors"</h1>
Master level
Blades of Grass
Hong Kong translation: Grass Leaf Cafe
Grass（2018）
Director: Hong Shangxiu
The new work of the prolific director Hong Shangxiu has just been screened in Berlin in February, and the word of mouth seems to be not very good, but this Hong Kong Film Festival as the Asian premiere, according to the popularity of Hong Shangxiu and the muse heroine Kim Min-hee, the ticket for this film should also be more difficult to grab, good luck.
Season of the Devil
Hong Kong translation: Season of demons
The Season of the Devil（2018）
Director: Ralph Diaz
Also this year's Berlin film, the Asian premiere, Filipino director Ralph Diaz, his work last year's "The Woman Who Left" topped Venice's highest gold lion award. This new work is also a new genre he tried, a song and dance drama, and the songs in it are all cappella, black and white photography, with a duration of about 240 minutes. Watching Ralph Diaz's films is indeed a challenge.
"24 Grids"
Hong Kong translation: Twenty-four grids
24 Frames（2017）
Director: Abbas Chiarostami
The legacy of Iranian maestro Abbas Kiarostami was premiered worldwide at last year's Cannes Film Festival special screening. This is Abbas's experimental work, a collection of 4 minutes and 30 seconds of fragments, each inspired by some paintings and photographs taken by himself, to explore the boundaries between film and art.
Other masterpieces include Bruno Dumont's Virgin's Virgin Mary (Hong Kong translation: The Childhood of Saint Virgin), Frederick Wiseman's Book Edge: New York Public Library (Hong Kong translation: New York Public Library), Sarkinsef's No Love to Appeal (Hong Kong translation: "Blind Love Is Not in Love"), and Kitano Takeshi's Extremely Evil 3.
"Masters and Authors"
Author style
"Dovlatov"
Hong Kong translation: The harsh winter of the great writer
Dovlatov（2018）
Director: Alexei Germain Jr
Premiere in Asia, "Under the Clouds" director Alexei Germania Jr.'s new work, Berlin Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, a biopic about the famous Soviet satirist Sergei Dovlatov, focusing on the short six days of Dovlatov's life, presenting the political cold and turmoil of the Soviet Union in the 70s.
"The Face"
Hong Kong translation: Masquerade
Face(2018)
Directed By: Makozata Shmovzka
Polish female director Makozata Smovzka's work "Body" last year is also good, and also won the Berlin Best Director, this new work won the grand prize, this year's Berlin Jury Prize, the film takes a worker who has been disfigured due to a work accident as a starting point, satirizing the secular and social hypocrisy of the townspeople.
Other films worth seeing "author's style" include Sergei Loznica's "Gentle Woman" (Hong Kong translation: "Gentle Woman of the Iron Curtain"), and Atsuhiko Suwa's "The Lion Stays Up All Night".
<h1>"World Cinema"</h1>
Autonomous trends
"The Elephant Sits on the Ground"
An Elephant Sitting Still（2018）
Director: Hu Qian
Young director Hu Qian's debut, but also his posthumous work, won this year's Berlin Film Festival Best Debut Special Mention, as well as the Forum Unit Fabisi Award (International Film Critics Award), a duration of 4 hours, I believe many people want to see this, the current Hong Kong Film Festival is the only opportunity, the Asian premiere.
<h1>"Firebird Award"</h1>
Rookie Film Contest
History of Tenderness
Girls Always Happy（2018）
Director: Yang Mingming
This year's Chinese films in the Berlin department, Yang Mingming wrote and directed himself, focusing on the relationship between mother and daughter in the family, and the reputation after the Berlin premiere was still good.
Wanza's Rain Boots
Wangdrak's Rain Boots（2018）
Director: Rahuaga
The 68th Berlin New Generation Competition Unit, the debut work of director Lahuaga, he has previously served as the executive director of "Tullow" and "The Knife in the Clear Water", this time the first directing tube, Wan Ma Tse-dan as the supervising producer, the well-known photographer Lu Songye in charge, very much looking forward to.
The "Firebird Awards" is a competition section of the film festival, which is divided into three sections, the rookie film competition, the documentary competition, and the short film competition, in addition to the two films listed above, there are others that can be followed, such as "February in the Small Town" in the short film competition (last year's Cannes short film Palme d'Or) and so on.
<h1>"Focus Filmmaker"</h1>
Hidden Flowers in the Mist – Luquesia Martel
The first is the Spanish director Lucrecia Martel in the "Masters and Authors" section, which will feature four of her works, including her debut "Swamp" (Hong Kong translation: "Paradise", Berlin Afrebauer Prize), "The Virgin" (Hong Kong translation: "Holy Girl", Berlin Afrebauer Prize), "The Headless Woman" (Hong Kong translation: "Headless Woman"), and the new "Zama" (Hong Kong translation: "Exile General Shama").
Zama
Hong Kong translation: Exiled General Shama
Zama（2017）
Laughing red dust outside the clouds - Lin Qingxia
Our goddess Lin Qingxia, the film festival selected 14 classic films from her acting career, including her screen debut "Outside the Window", and screened a new restored version, as well as a restored version of "I am a cloud", "Rolling Red Dust", "Dao Ma Dan", "Chongqing Forest" and so on.
Truth-seeking – Herzog
German film maestro Werner Herzog was also invited to the festival, this time bringing with him 2016 volcano-themed documentaries "Into Hell", "Overland Boat" and "Akil, The Wrath of God" and will meet fans face-to-face.
In addition, the "Focus Filmmakers" include Ishmael Bernal," a Philippine New Wave standard-bearer, and Kazuo Hara, a Japanese documentary filmmaker.
Since it is a film festival feast for film fans, the film list is naturally too many to take care of, such as Cai Liang's VR film "Home in Lan Ruo Temple", many classic films in the classic restoration unit, documentaries focusing on filmmakers and movies, "Tehran Taboo" and "The Breadwinner" in "Super Popular Animation" and so on.