************************************************************
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory in the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present a special series entitled "Memories and Reflections of the Resistance against Japanese Aggression", with the aim of reminding audiences of those days of hardship and endurance. Six films will be shown in three programmes which will be held at the HKFA Cinema, Lecture Halls of the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Science Museum with free admission by ticket.
Programme One will screen "The Battle of Shanghai" (1937) and "Scenes of Yan'an" (1938) on July 24, 25 and 26 in the same session; Programme Two will screen "International Student Movement against Japanese Aggression" (1938-39), "The Bombing of Canton" (1938-39) and "A Page of History" (1941) on August 8, 9 and 14 in the same session; and Programme Three will screen the newly acquired "19th Route Army's Glorious Battle against the Japanese Enemy" (1932) on September 3, 12 and 19. Tickets for Programme One will be distributed from today (July 3) onwards at enquiry counters of the HKFA (Monday, Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm), the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (from 9am to 9pm) and Sha Tin Town Hall (from 9am to 10pm), while tickets for the remaining programmes will be available from July 17 (Programme Two) and August 14 (Programme Three) onwards at the same locations. Each person can receive a maximum of two tickets on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.
"The Battle of Shanghai" was filmed by Lai Man-wai, a pioneer of Hong Kong cinema and his Lianhua cameramen, who risked their lives in the battlefield. The film records details of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, including gruesome scenes of civilian casualties at the railway station, as well as the resistance campaign by members of the culture and entertainment community. The footage was rediscovered in 1995 and donated to the HKFA by Lai's son, Mr Lai Shek. "Scenes of Yan'an" (aka "On the Northwest Line") features the command and training of troops in Yan'an and also covers the lives of people at Luxun Arts College and Shanbei Public School. Despite being a short film, it remains an important record of Yan'an as the capital of the Communist Revolution. It was not screened publicly until June 1941. The film was later donated to the HKFA by Ms Dolores Wang, daughter of the deceased former film lab owner of the pre-war period, Mr Wang Man-chi, who once risked his life to preserve it.
"International Student Movement against Japanese Aggression" is a 10-minute documentary of the World Students Delegation's call for world-wide support in China's defence against Japanese aggression, and also shows footage of the training of Chinese troops. "The Bombing of Canton" is a newsreel showing the devastation of Guangzhou after Japanese bombing. Another invaluable documentary, "A Page of History", was also shot by Lai Man-wai, and shows important historic scenes including Dr Sun Yat-sen leading the Chinese revolution in the 1920s and the Northern Expedition. Although once lost the documentary was later rediscovered and donated by Mr Lai Shek to the HKFA, and 34 minutes of footage was salvaged after restoration. In this new print of the documentary some shots have been replaced by better quality images recently discovered.
After taking much of northeastern China in 1931, the Japanese staged a major invasion of Shanghai the next year, where the 19th Route Army held their ground at Bazi Bridge in a fierce battle. The "19th Route Army's Glorious Battle against the Japanese Enemy" was filmed by director Lai Man-wai and a team of cinematographers in the war zone. It captures the devastation caused by the bombing of Zhabei District and includes compelling and dramatic footage. The film also preserves precious images of the 19th Route Army preparing for the battle. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of victory in the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression, the HKFA finally obtained and preserved a digital print of this classic film, which was held in the China Film Archive for more than eight decades.
"The Battle of Shanghai" and "A Page of History" are in Mandarin while the other films are silent. "The Battle of Shanghai" and "International Student Movement against Japanese Aggression" have Chinese and English intertitles; "Scenes of Yan'an", "A Page of History" and "19th Route Army's Glorious Battle against the Japanese Enemy" have Chinese intertitles; and "The Bombing of Canton" has English intertitles.
Programme details can be found in "ProFolio 78" available at all performance venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. For enquiries, please call 2734 2900 or 2739 2139, or browse the webpage: www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2015raja/index.html.
Ends/Friday, July 3, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:34
NNNN
