The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin), Create Hong Kong and Arsenal - Institute for Film and Video Art are jointly presenting "Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017", a three-week film programme at the Arsenal Cinema in Berlin featuring 10 specially curated Hong Kong films produced in the past 20 years.

     The programme has been launched on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and is running from July 14 to August 3. Young director Steve Chan kicked off the programme by introducing his critically acclaimed debut, Weeds on Fire. The film zooms into a subject rare in Hong Kong cinema – baseball – and is adapted from the true story of a local Hong Kong team's first victory in the 1980s. 

     In her speech at the opening of "Creative Visions" on July 14 (Berlin time), the Director of HKETO Berlin, Ms Betty Ho, said, "Hong Kong has one of the largest and most dynamic film entertainment industries in the world.” Apart from its film industry, the city itself has demonstrated remarkable performance in the past 20 years, from completion of new infrastructure projects to achievements in economic performance, academic and cultural pursuits. "These were all made possible under 'one country, two systems', which enables Hong Kong to fully utilise our strengths to progress further. We stay together, we have made progress, and we are ready for new opportunities," Ms Ho said. 

     Internationally renowned director Stanley Kwan will close the film series with his powerful and emotional work "Hold You Tight". The programme also includes brilliant works by some of the acclaimed players in Hong Kong's film industry, such as Tsui Hark, Ann Hui and Johnnie To. The 10 selected films to be shown in "Creative Visions" depict the diversity, versatility and dynamism of Hong Kong and its local film productions in the past two decades. Each film has a distinctive angle, subject or genre, ranging from triad gangs to melodramatics, and together they show why the city is a gem in the international film entertainment industry.

     To promote the achievements of Hong Kong's film industry in the past 20 years, HKETO Berlin is collaborating with the Munich International Film Festival in Germany, Miskolc International Film Festival in Hungary, the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland, the Vienna International Film Festival in Austria and the Five Flavours Film Festival in Warsaw, Poland, to screen a series of distinguished Hong Kong movies. Another edition of "Creative Visions" will be staged in Prague, the Czech Republic, from September 14 to 17. 

     For more information on "Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017" in Berlin, visit www.arsenal-berlin.de.

About HKETO Berlin

     HKETO Berlin is the official HKSAR Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland. 

Ends/Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:49

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