With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO), Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), the London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) 2021 selected 10 Hong Kong films for screening for from October 21 to 31 (London time).

     For the first time at LEAFF, a Hong Kong movie was selected as the opening film. To pay tribute to the late Hong Kong Director Benny Chan, LEAFF opened on October 21, 2021 (London time) with Director Chan’s final feature “Raging Fire” at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, London. LEAFF 2021 also features a special Hong Kong Focus programme this year, highlighting the work of emerging directors.

     Amongst the 10 Hong Kong films, seven of them are part of HKIFFS’ Hong Kong New Talents Programme, which aims to introduce and promote the new generation of Hong Kong filmmakers to the international audiences. These seven films are (in alphabetical order):
 

• Alan Fung’s “Elisa’s Day”;  
• Chan Kin-long’s “Hand Rolled Cigarette”;
• Erica Li’s “Just 1 Day”;
• Man Lim-chung’s “Keep Rolling”;
• Sunny Lau’s “Sugar Street Studio”;
• Ricky Ko’s “Time” ; and
• Jimmy Wan’s “Zero to Hero”.

     The three other Hong Kong films screened are Benny Chan’s “Raging Fire” and “A Moment of Romance”, as well as Soi Cheang’s “Limbo”. 

     Speaking at the opening gala of LEAFF 2021, the Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law highlighted that Hong Kong is not only an international financial centre but also an international hub for cultural and creative industries with promising development opportunities. He said, “Within a short time span of three years, we saw the opening of Tai Kwun for heritage and arts, the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and the refurbished and expanded Hong Kong Museum of Arts. With much anticipation, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, the M+ Museum will open its doors to the public on November 12, 2021. All these venues provide the much needed space for the sector to grow and flourish.”

     Mr Law also spoke of the support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government for nurturing talents, as well as the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme including the associated immigration facilitation measures for any aspired international film talents to work in Hong Kong.

     LEAFF 2021 will run until October 31, 2021 (London time) with a diverse programme of films from East Asia. For more information, please visit www.leaff.org.uk/.