Go to main content
 
Film Programmes Office to launch screening programme "!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts" (with photos)
******************************************************************************************
     The Film Programmes Office (FPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the programme "!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts" from September 16 to October 15 at the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers and their handpicked works from world cinema. The designers will also attend the post-screening talks after the screening of their works to guide audiences through the multiverse of film arts constructed by sets, props and costumes.

     In "The Silent War" (2012), production designer Man Lim-chung created the smooth and slick persona of the versatile special agent played by Zhou Xun, and portrayed metropolitan Shanghai in the 1950s through sets and costumes in a retro and elegant style. "The Color of Pomegranates” (1969), selected by Man, tells the life story of the 18th century poet Sayat Nova. With costume design showing distinct seasons and social classes, a wealth of tactile props and artefacts, as well as the ritualistic performances, the production design preserved the dazzling aesthetics in the Armenian tradition throughout the film.

     "The Grandmaster" (2013) interweaves stories of Wing Chun master Ip Man and various northern and southern Chinese martial artists. Alfred Yau, one of the production designers, showcased the distinct characteristics of the north and the south in the aesthetic details of the architecture, scenes and costumes of the film. The film's main set was very complex and its construction took over two years to complete. The location shots of renowned film director Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" (1957), selected for screening by Yau, were filmed at the periphery of Mount Fuji, Japan, where the foggy landscape aligns with the murderous atmosphere of the plot.

     Cheung Siu-hong, production designer of "Mad World" (2017), constructed and decorated the set to highly resemble a subdivided flat in real life. Through well-planned camera work, the crampedness of the flat and the stress between a father and son were fully demonstrated. In "Songs from the Second Floor" (2000), selected for screening by Cheung, director Roy Andersson employed a palette of muted colours and sets in a hyperfocal distance to depict an unemotional city where absurdity rules every day.

     "Green Snake" (1993) is based on the folklore of a poignant love story between a scholar and Lady White Snake. Art director Bill Lui, following instructions to stay focused and keep to a minimum imposed by director Tsui Hark, created an aura of etherealness and bewitching allure with chiffon-like gauze and lights. Selected by Lui, "High Heels" (1991) portrays the entanglement of an estranged mother and daughter with the director Pedro Almodóvar's signature dazzling colours and idiosyncratic compositions.

     The range of casual outfits in pastel colours matched by costume designer Dora Ng for the main character of romantic drama "And I Hate You So" (2000) helped build the impression of an approachable romantic story writer, adding visual tints of romance to the film. Ng's choice of the musical masterpiece "Grease" (1978) is full of youthful energy. The colourful and dazzling clothes of the girls and the rebellious leather jacket-clad boys in the film reflected the style popular at the time.

     To portray the childhood innocence of the two lead characters in "The Pye-Dog" (2007), art director Eric Lam creatively decorated the stage at a Christmas party, where the lead characters bonded, with a collection of used objects. "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), selected by Lam, presents an explosive vision of an apocalypse in which creatively engineered giant vehicles mirror the power of their drivers. 
 
     To enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design, two reference films will be screened at the Cinema of the HKFA, including action thriller "Raging Fire" (2021) and "Where the Wind Blows" (2023), set against a backdrop of Hong Kong in the 1940s to 1970s. The two screenings of the reference films will be accompanied by post-screening seminars, hosted by curator Cecilia Wong. Art director Chou Tak-fu and visual effects supervisors Alex Lim and Yee Kwok-leung will be the speakers at the former seminar with theme "Hand in Hand - Film Arts and Visual Effects", while Bill Lui, Dora Ng and director Philip Yung will be the speakers at the latter seminar with theme "How to Construct the Cinematic World - A Conversation Among Director, Production Designer and Costume Designer". Admission to the seminars is free with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Audiences are welcome to queue up at the 1/F Foyer of the HKFA 15 minutes before the seminars begin.

     All films have Chinese and English subtitles. Tickets priced at $60 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For details, please call 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=51.

     In addition, the FPO and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) will jointly present free screenings of "The Lovers" (1994) and "The Love Eterne" (1963) at 2pm on August 26 (Saturday) and September 2 (Saturday) respectively at the theatre on the 1/F of the HKHM.

     A post-screening seminar will be held at 4.15pm on September 2 hosted by Cecilia Wong with costume designer and textile specialist Edith Cheung as speaker to explore the evolution and development of period costumes in films across generations. For details, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/eventsactivities/programmes/films_art.html. Audience members will be admitted 15 minutes before the programme commences. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public are also welcome to visit the HKHM's thematic exhibition "Out of Thin Air: Hong Kong Film Arts and Costumes", as well as a series of exhibitions about Hong Kong's pop culture. For details of the exhibitions, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/highlights.html.

     The LCSD launched the first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival in April 2023, aiming to showcase Hong Kong's unique cultural creativity and vibrancy through exhibitions, film screenings and pop concerts. For more information on other fascinating programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.
 
Ends/Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:00
NNNN
Archives   Yesterday's Press Releases  
Back to Index Page
Back to top
Today's Press Releases  

Photo

The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "The Silent War" (2012).
The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "Mad World" (2017).
The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "Songs from the Second Floor” (2000).
The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "High Heels" (1991).
The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "Raging Fire" (2021).
The Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the programme “!NSPIRE Series: Multiverse in Film Arts” from September 16 to October 15 to showcase the works of six Hong Kong Film Award-winning film production and costume designers, their handpicked works from world cinema, and two reference films to enable audiences to have a better understanding of the production design of films. Photo shows a film still of "Where the Wind Blows" (2023).