The Festival de Cannes Film Week will debut for the first time in Asia, premiering at Hong Kong’s cultural retail destination K11 MUSEA from 12 to 17 November. Six highly acclaimed works from the 72nd Festival de Cannes will be shown, directed by some of the industry’s most prominent figures in filmmaking. These cinematographic masterpieces represent France, Italy, Belgium, Brazil and America, bringing a global selection of works from the world’s most celebrated film festival to Hong Kong.
Shown either In Competition (competing for the Palme d’Or) or Un Certain Regard (atypical filming styles with unique storylines), the six selected films were widely praised at the Festival de Cannes 2019 before making their debut on the Hong Kong silver screen. From the In Competition section, Young Ahmed, directed by the world renowned Dardenne brothers, won the Award for Best Director, while Portrait of a Lady on Fire won the Award for Best Screenplay. The Traitor, latest work by top Italian director Marco Bellocchio, is another unmissable highlight. Captivating watches from the Un Certain Regard section include The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmão, winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize; The Climb, winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury’s “Coup de Cœur” Prize; and On a Magical Night (Chambre 212), winner of the Un Certain Regard Best Performance Prize for Chiara Mastroianni.
Festival de Cannes Film Week attendees will also have the exclusive opportunity to enjoy masterclasses from the 13th to the 15th of November. These will be held by esteemed filmmakers, including world-class filmmakers General Delegate Thierry Frémaux and the Dardenne brothers.
Pierre Lescure & Thierry Frémaux, President & General Delegate of Festival de Cannes emphasised that they wanted to be able to share the Cannes experience to Hongkongers from all walks of life. “We want to meet cinema-goers from around the world, but also the people who work here in Hong Kong all year round, the people who are at the heart of this industry: the filmmakers, actresses, actors, producers and local distributors who will be with us during this exceptional week.” Hong Kong filmmakers such as Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To, Ann Hui and Tsui Hark have contributed to building the legacy of the esteemed Festival de Cannes, with Lescure and Frémaux expressing their feelings of honour to be welcomed to Hong Kong in return. Adrian Cheng, Founder of K11 Group was very much in agreement, expressing his eagerness in the partnership and how he believes it will contribute to fostering creativity in Hong Kong, “This is a world-class curated event that not only entertains, but inspires the next generation and propagates cross-cultural dialogue among like-minded art and culture lovers.”
Festival de Cannes Film Week runs from 12-17 November at 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; cannesfilmweek.k11musea.com
Editor
Carina Fischer
