Dancing Between Words and Images – Hong Kong Film and Literature
From December 1 to February 23, 2025, the Hong Kong Film Archive will be screening 17 local films that have been adapted from or inspired by works of literature. Sorted into five thematic categories – ‘Adaptations from Classic Literature’, ‘Her Stories in the City’, ‘Reflections of Time’, ‘Tales of Love and Romance’, and ‘Made in Hong Kong’ – these films will span from the early 40s to the late 2010s, covering topics such as romance, tragedies, class differences, and female autonomy.
We’re particularly looking forward to Modern ‘Red Chamber Dream’ (1952), which brings the Qing dynasty setting of the Dream of the Red Chamber novel to the 1940s; The Long Lane (1956), in which a woman grapples with the guilt of abandoning her daughter in favour of adopting a male heir; The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus (1989) which explores abuse, lust, and desire from a female perspective; and horror comedy The Midnight After (2014) based on a popular web novel published on a local online forum.
Most of these screenings will be accompanied by talks, so this is a great chance for cinephiles to hear directly from film scholars, screenwriters, film critics, and directors such as Fruit Chan, Yim Ho, and Stanley Kwan. Tickets will cost $55, and will be available for sale on Urbtix from November 1.