Montreal Film Fest Features Hong Kong Gems

Hong Kong cinema played a feature role at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival this summer. Audiences were treated to 10 Hong Kong movies, including the classic Bruce Lee film, “Fist of Fury”, and the contemporary “One Nite in Mongkok” by director Derek Yee. 

The screenings were presented by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada) in the Hong Kong Cinema section of the festival, which highlights the best in contemporary international genre cinema from around the world. About 100 films, mostly from Asia, were screened during the 19-day festival, which recorded an all-time-high attendance of 75,000 this year. 

“Fist of Fury” was the festival’s finale presentation. This rare event commemorated the legendary kung fu star, who passed away 22 years ago. It was hosted by the film’s female star, Miss Nora Miao, who was welcomed with a standing ovation.

“The occasion is extremely meaningful,” said Miss Miao. “If Bruce Lee is still alive, he would be celebrating his 65th birthday this month.” Nora Miao also played a leading role in Bruce Lee’s “Way of the Dragon”. She has the distinction of being the only actress who ever kissed Bruce Lee on screen. 

Other Hong Kong films included latest productions such as “The Love Battlefield”, “White Dragon”, “Breaking News” and “Three… Extremes”, as well as Shaw Brothers’ legendary productions “Heroes of the East”, “The New One-Armed Swordsman”, “Shaolin Temple” and “Way of the Dragon”. 

“One Nite in Mongkok” was given one of the two 50th Anniversary Sequences “Special Mention” awards.

The video “A Century of Hong Kong Cinema” was also shown during the festival. The documentary includes classic scenes from familiar works, such as fight scenes with Jacky Chan and gangster shots from John Woo, as well as archive footage from black and white Cantonese films, colour Mandarin musicals and early kung fu films.

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