HKAIFF: A Call for Rebirth

An adorable baby with a ticket coming out of his nose, ear, and mouth is the key art for this year’s Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival (HKAIFF). According to Helena Young who runs Shaw’s Grand Cinema hosting Ying E Chi’s festival, the symbol of the baby signifies rebirth. The whimsical model is in fact the child of the key art’s graphic designer. Ying E Chi, the sole organizer of this new festival, seems to be running a campaign calling for the rebirth of Hong Kong’s independent cinema after a stormy struggle and bitter separation from the currently running Hong Kong Asian Film Festival. (Please read my older posts about the conflict.)

A lively mix of press, actors and filmmakers attended the HKAIFF press conference held yesterday at Wan Chai’s Luk Kwok hotel. HKAIFF originated from the early independent film screenings that Ying E Chi started organizing in 1997. These screenings became “Indie is Fun,” the first festival held at Broadway Cinematheque in 2002 and subsequently became Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) in 2003. This year, due to a disagreement with Broadway Cinematheque, Ying E Chi split up with HKAFF and started up HKAIFF.

Lawrence Wong, the boyish chairman of Ying E Chi, boasted giddily to me about the opening film being one of his favorites, KING OF SPY, made by the local Chu brothers for a meager sum of HK$5000 (around US$700), a low-fi shoestring comedy that parodies JAMES BOND, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and THE MATRIX.

Vicent Chui’s politically controversial and long awaited THREE NARROW GATES will have its world premiere at the festival. The film revolves around a local police officer stumbling upon a murder in the ex-crown colony and unveils political implications against the greater China.

Vetaran TV actor Johnson Lee may have a cult hit in his hands with the black-and-white CITIZEN KING, his co-directorial debut with Ching Long. In CITIZEN KING, Lee stars as a local actor struggling for fame and fights for his dream to get a role in a Hollywood movie. KING features Gordon Liu of KILL BILL’s fame as a martial arts master who coaches and choreographs Lee for a martial arts audition video.

Actor/Model Carl Ng and filmmaker Nicholas Chin were at the press conference promoting their feature MAGAZINE GAP ROAD. Set in the titular secluded enclave of wealth and privilege, MAGAZINE GAP ROAD tells the scandalous story of a curator for a private museum and her connection with a high-class prostitute ring that threatens to tear apart the veneer of her respectability and reputation.

Beyond the above Hong Kong selections, this year’s HKAIFF features forty independent features and shorts (documentaries and fictions) from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Laos, Thailand, Philippines and etc. HKAIFF strives to provide Hong Kong cineastes’ an invaluable opportunity to explore truly independent Asian cinema. HKAIFF will take place from 11/15 until 11/30/08 at the Grand. Please check HKAIFF’s website for details: http://www.hkaiff.hk.