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Hong Kong moviegoers continued to prove their willingness to turn out for local productions in 2024, pushing Anselm Chan’s funeral drama The Last Dance to become the most successful local film of all time at the Hong Kong box office with over $18 milion.

The success of The Last Dance followed Soi Cheang’s nostalgia-fueled martial arts thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong’s Oscar submission) and its portrayal of the notorious, long-demolished Kowloon City neighborhood. There is a sustained desire, it would seem, to preserve and celebrate specific elements of Hong Kong culture which have come under threat in recent years, as the city is fast coming to resemble just another Chinese metropolis.

The Last Dance enshrines precisely the same sensibility as its recent box office predecessors, albeit in a markedly different tone. Chan’s previous features, Ready O/R Knot (2021) and its sequel Ready O/R Rot (2023), were both broad comedies.

The Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society (Sfs), with financial support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (Ccidahk), Film Development Fund (Fdf) and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Hketo) in Singapore.This programme showcases Hong Kong films across various regions in Asia, allowing audiences to explore the new generation of Hong Kong cinema and emerging talents. It also builds strong connections between Hong Kong filmmakers and the Asian film industry, promoting ongoing growth in the sector.

After successful screenings in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Dubai, the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation will hold its grand finale in Singapore from November 20 to 24 at Gv Suntec City. The programme will showcase eight Hong Kong films, kicking off the Singapore premiere of The Last Dance, starring comedy legends Michael Hui and Dayo Wong. Anselm Chan,...

How do you make a lovely, life-affirming film about death that appeals to general audiences just about everywhere? Up-and-coming Hong Kong filmmaker Anselm Chan has the answer in “The Last Dance,” in which a cash-strapped former wedding planner and a stern old Taoist priest become unlikely partners in the funeral business. Boasting an all-star cast headed by Cantonese comedy icons Dayo Wong (“Table for Six”) and Michael Hui playing it mostly straight, Chan’s handsomely crafted third feature is a poignant drama about finding meaning in life from the passing of loved ones and the rituals of final farewells.

This respectful and uplifting journey into Hong Kong’s unique and fascinating funeral traditions opens locally on Nov. 9 and in the U.K. and Ireland on Nov. 15 — just the start of what’s sure to be wide international theatrical exposure.

After making a mark with his rowdy 2021 romcom “Ready or Knot...

The Last Dance, one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong films of the year, has been acquired for UK and Ireland distribution by Trinity CineAsia from Emperor Motion Pictures.

Trinity CineAsia plan to release the film theatrically on November 15, following its opening in Hong Kong on November 11.

The drama features a starry cast led by Dayo Wong, whose recent hits include Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film A Guilty Conscience and blockbuster Table For Six, alongside veteran Michael Hui, who won best supporting actor at the 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards for Where The Wind Blows.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding...

Dayo Wong and Michael Hui head the cast of The Last Dance, which Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) is launching at Hong Kong Filmart, along with Wai Ka Fai’s Detective Vs Sleuths 2.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding planner who finds unexpected success as a funeral planner, but he has to win over a traditional Taoist priest to stay in the business. It marks Wong’s first film after two massive hits, A Guilty Conscience and Table For Six, which made him one of Hong Kong’s most bankable actors.

The Last Dance, currently in post-production, is the third film from...

The new comedy-action movie “The Grand Grandmaster“, directed by and starring Hong Kong comedian Dayo Wong Tze-wah, is slated to be released during Lunar New Year, courtesy of distribution company Golden Scene.

Wong, whose comedies often explore the city’s social issues, is known for writing jokes that most Hongkongers can relate to.

Director

Dayo Wong Tze Wah

Cast

Dayo Wong Tze-wah (“Agent Mr. Chan”)

Annie Liu (“Natural Born Lovers”)

Hui Shiu Hung

Ivana Wong

Catherine Chau

Fama

Synopsis

The grandmaster Fei Lung lost everything after he got defeated by Tsang. To regain his reputation, Fei Lung challenges her to a final fight. Much to his surprise, he gradually falls in love with Tsang. Will he be able to win both Tsang’s heart and the battle at the end?...

"Who painting do you want me to replicate?" Signature Entertainment in the UK has unveiled an official trailer for a Hong Kong crime thriller titled The Counterfeiter. This has gone under a few other names, including Project Gutenberg, and the original titles Mou seung (Cantonese) and Wu shuang (Mandarin). The Counterfeiter is described "action-packed, twisty and tension filled crime thriller" akin to The Usual Suspects meets Fight Club, starring Chow Yun-Fat as a criminal mastermind known as the "Painter". The Hong Kong police are hunting a masterful counterfeiting gang. In order to crack the leader "Painter's" true identity, the police recruits gang member Lee Man to unmask him. This also stars Aaron Kwok, Jingchu Zhang, Catherine Chau, Joyce Wenjuan Feng, David Yao-Qing Wang, and Kai Chi Liu. This looks cool, lots of slick counterfeiting along with some heavy action. It might be an entertaining weekend watch. Here's the first official...

No big revelations this year at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards. The Sunday night ceremony has unveiled all the winners for this years Awards and they are all quite an easy guess. Felix Chong’s thriller “Project Gutenberg” was the star of the evening as, predictably – considering its 17 nominations – won Best Film along with other 6 Awards.

But despite the histrionic performances of Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwock, the acting Awards are not in the “Project Gutenberg”‘s pile. Anthony Wong took home the Best Actor award for his role as a middle-aged paralysed man in “Still Human“, and newcomer Chloe Maayan won Best Actress for Fruit Chan’s “Three Husbands”, while Kara Hui and Ben Yuen Foo-Wa scored Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor both for “Tracey“.

Finally, “Dying To Survive” won the Best Film from Mainland and Taiwan Award.

Here is the full list of Winners and...

The full list of nominations for the the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards has been revealed. On the 14 April 2019 we will know the winners but for now let’s have a look at the nominees.

Two films seem to lead the competition. Big budget “Project Gutenberg” by Felix Chong has the highest number of nominations (17) and both its protagonists, Chow Yun-Fat and Aaron Kwok, compete for the Best Actor Award. To follow, a much smaller (but not less loved) film, “Men On The Dragon” by Sunny Chan has 10 nominations.

Here is the full list:

Men On The Dragon

Best Film

Three Husbands

Operation Red Sea

Still Human

Men On The Dragon

Project Gutenberg

Best Director

Fruit Chan (Three Husbands)

Dante Lam (Operation Red Sea)

Sunny Chan (Men On The Dragon)

Oliver Chan Siu-Kuen (Still Human)

Felix Chong (Project Gutenberg)

Aaron Kwok and Chow Yun-Fat

Best Actor

Francis Ng (Men On...

Project Gutenberg, the critically acclaimed crime thriller directed by Infernal Affairs scribe Felix Chong, became the second-most-nominated film in the history of the Hong Kong Film Awards with an impressive 17 nominations on Tuesday.

Project Gutenberg achieved a grand slam in the acting categories with five mentions as its stars Zhang Jingchu, Liu Kai Chi and Catherine Chau earned noms in the best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress races, respectively, and the thriller’s leads Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok were pitted against each other in the best actor category.

Helmer and writer Chong, who spent over a decade crafting ...

Project Gutenberg, the critically acclaimed crime thriller directed by Infernal Affairs scribe Felix Chong, became the second-most-nominated film in the history of the Hong Kong Film Awards with an impressive 17 nominations on Tuesday.

Project Gutenberg achieved a grand slam in the acting categories with five mentions as its stars Zhang Jingchu, Liu Kai Chi and Catherine Chau earned noms in the best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress races, respectively, and the thriller’s leads Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok were pitted against each other in the best actor category.

Helmer and writer Chong, who spent over a decade crafting ...

Hong Kong-based company’s slate includes Soi Cheang’s Limbo, produced by Wilson Yip.

Hong Kong-based Bravos Pictures is handling international sales on a fresh slate of action titles, including Soi Cheang’s Limbo, starring Lam Ka Tung.

Lam plays a detective on the trail of a serial killer in the $16m action drama, which is produced by Wilson Yip and Paco Wong. Mason Lee also stars as a rookie cop, while Cya Liu plays a woman who is assigned to the case but has killed the detective’s wife and child in an accident.

In post-production, the film is produced by Sun Entertainment Culture,...

Port Of Call director Philip Yung to helm detective thriller.

Hong Kong-based China 3D Digital Entertainment launched a new slate of six titles at Hong Kong Filmart, including $13m (Hk$100m) detective crime thriller The Death Notice (working title).

Directed by Philip Yung, whose last film Port Of Call is a multiple award-winning crime thriller, the new picture is a co-production with Chinese streamlining platform iQiyi. A-list actors are expected to be cast.

The Death Notice was originally published as an Internet novel. It has subsequently been adapted into a highly popular Internet drama with reportedly a billion click-throughs.

Also on China 3D’s new slate is The Menu, which is the big screen adaptation of Hktv’s series and reunites the series director Pun Man Hung with his cast Gregory Wong, Catherine Chau and Kate Yeung; 29+1, which is based on actress-director-playwright Kearen Pang’s theatre production of the same name and stars Chrissie Chau and Joyce...