Press Release - July 25, 2003

The resilience, strength and creativity demonstrated by the Hong Kong people in the face of adversity vividly illustrates the 'Hong Kong Spirit', according to the Deputy Director, Mr. Kenneth Cheng, of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO).

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Film Festival (HKFF) 'Gems from Asia's Hollywood - A Retrospect of John Woo' co-presented by the HKETO and Pacific Cinematheque today (July 25) in Vancouver, Mr. Cheng said the setbacks Hong Kong has suffered from in recent years could not dent the 'Hong Kong Spirit'.

He said: 'Every time we face a difficulty which at times seems insurmountable, we fight back and prevail.

'In the face of adversity, we rise to the challenge, use our creativity and ingenuity and come out stronger than before.'

The Deputy Director of the HKETO said the 'Hong Kong Spirit' is best represented by the city's film industry and its professionals who have come a long way since the early days when films were made to satisfy a local audience. The journey to international recognition has been a long one.

'The language and cultural barriers, the different practices in overseas film production industry and the keen competition from other places have done one thing � to strengthen the resolve of our film makers to try harder and do better.

'Hong Kong had a rudimentary film industry back in the fifties, when low budget films were made to cater for the local audience. Today Hong Kong is one of the world�s major production centers, and the regional hub for film trading and services. In the past few years, Hong Kong�s film talents have gained international recognition in film festivals around the world,' he continued.

'Now many of our movie stars and behind-the-scene professionals are Hollywood�s recent success stories,' he added.

Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) and Pacific Cinematheque, the HKFF aims to illustrate the developments of Hong Kong's film industry, to enable Canadian viewers to appreciate the unique qualities of Hong Kong films and to recognize the achievements of Hong Kong's film industry professionals.

It is also held to mark the sixth anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Also present at today�s opening ceremony was the Executive Director of Pacific Cinematheque, Mr. Jim Sinclair.

The eight films shown at the HKFF, held from today to July 29 at Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe Street, Vancouver), are: 'Hard Boiled', 'A Better Tomorrow', 'A Better Tomorrow II', 'Bullet in the Head', 'To Hell with the Devil', 'Shaolin Men', 'Laughing Times' and 'The Killer'.

Tickets are available at the Pacific Cinematheque box office. Prices for adults are C$7.50 (single bill) and C$8.50 (double bill); for students and seniors, prices are at C$6.00 (single bill) and C$7.00 (double bill). Proceeds of the event will be donated to Pacific Cinematheque for its film reference library.

Prior to staging the HKFF in Vancouver, the event was also held in Toronto and Calgary in late June and mid-July respectively.

To enable Canadians to have first-hand experience of Hong Kong, Asia's world city, names of all ticket holders attending the Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver events will be automatically included in a lucky draw. The grand prizewinner will receive two economy class flight tickets, either from Toronto or Vancouver to Hong Kong and 5-night hotel accommodation in Hong Kong, courtesy of Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Tourism Board and Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel.

Media sponsors of the event are Fairchild Media Group and Ming Pao.


For more information, please contact: Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416) 924-5544 or email: [email protected] or Catherine Yuen, Principal Consultant (Vancouver) at 604-331-1300 / email: [email protected]