7 October 2021 (Barcelona) – The Hong Kong New Talents film programme will continue its tour of Europe with Derek TSANG’s award-winning Better Days closing the Asian Film Festival Barcelona, which takes place from 27 October to 7 November.
Cinemes Girona will host in-theatre screenings of eight of the 10-film programme. In addition to Better Days are Drifting (Jun LI), Hand Rolled Cigarette (CHAN Kin-long), Just 1 Day (Erica LI), Keep Rolling (MAN Lim-chung), Ready O/R Knot (Anselm CHAN), Time (Ricky KO), and Zero to Hero (Jimmy WAN). Two films - One Second Champion (CHIU Sin-hang) and Stoma (Kit HUNG) - are available only for streaming.
Information on the programme, screening schedule, and ticketing is available on the Asian Film Festival Barcelona official website.
Organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) with support from Create Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Hong Kong New Talents kicked off in June during the 23rd Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. The Asian Film Festival Barcelona is the travelling programme’s fourth stop after Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema and the London East Asia Film Festival.
Details on the Asian Film Festival Barcelona’s ten-film programme are as follow:
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1. Better Days《少年的你》| 20:00, 7 November 2021
TSANG’s spellbinding drama about school bullying was the first film by a Hong Kong-born director receiving a Best International Feature Film nomination at the Academy Awards.
2. Drifting《濁水漂流》| 18:00, 6 November 2021
Having made a significant impact with his directorial debut Tracey in 2018, Jun LI’s second feature takes a closer look at Hong Kong’s homeless people. The film features an outstanding ensemble of actors and shows a sensitive approach to an important social issue.
3. Hand Rolled Cigarette《手捲煙》| 18:00, 5 November 2021
Actor-turned-filmmaker CHAN Kin-long’s gritty bromance drama hailed from the much-lauded First Feature Film Initiative. It depicts two men who transcend their cultural and racial differences to form a brotherhood.
4. Just 1 Day《給我1天》| 18:00, 4 November 2021
Adapted from her own 2018 novel, Erica LI’s heartfelt story about the importance of holding on to every precious memory in life is a sad reflection of an old Hong Kong vanishing under gentrification and rapid urban redevelopment.
5. Keep Rolling《好好拍電影》| 20:00, 6 November 2021
The directorial debut of renowned production designer and art director MAN Lim-chung documents the 40-year career of Ann HUI, one of Hong Kong’s most influential filmmakers. This documentary tracks HUI’s ups and downs and offers a rare glimpse into her family and upbringing.
6. One Second Champion《一秒拳王》| online screening only
Born with the ability to see a split second into the future, a father takes up prize-fighting to fund his son’s surgery. Musician-actor CHIU Sin-hang’s impressive solo directorial debut, after Vampire Cleanup Department (2017), topped Hong Kong’s box office on its March release.
7. Ready O/R Knot《不日成婚》 | 18:00, 29 October 2021
Longtime comedy scriptwriter Anselm CHAN explores commitment-phobia in modern relationships with his raucous directorial debut.
8. Stoma《造口人》 | online screening only
His second feature since the acclaimed Soundless Wind Chime (2009), director Kit HUNG brings to life the autobiographical screenplay by the late cultural icon Julian Lee based on his experiences with peritoneal cancer.
9. Time《殺出個黃昏》| 20:00, 5 November 2021
First-time director Ricky KO’s satirical black comedy examines loneliness and lost ideals of old age. Full of clever plot twists and hyper-stylised kudos to classic Hong Kong cinema, it features two veteran and iconic actors from Hong Kong’s golden age of Cantonese cinema, Patrick TSE and Petrina FUNG.
10. Zero to Hero《媽媽的神奇小子》 | 18:00, 30 October 2021
Jimmy WAN’s biopic is a tribute to the awe-inspiring achievement of the gold medal-winning Paralympian SO Wa-wai and Hong Kong’s legions of never-say-die athletes.
