Press Release - July 22, 2005

Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal will feature Bruce Lee’s “Fist of Fury” during its finale screening next Monday (July 25) to commemorate the kungfu superstar who passed away 22 years ago at the age of 32.

“Fist of Fury” is one of the 10 films of the “Hong Kong Cinema” section of the festival sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada). The Hong Kong films include latest productions such as the “Love Battlefield”, “White Dragon”, “Breaking News”, “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”.

The Hong Kong Night this Sunday (July 24) will specially screen film director Derek Yee’s “One Nite in Mongkok”, which won the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards earlier this year. Yee was also the winner of “Best Director” of the 11th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

The rare presentation of “Fist of Fury” will be highlighted by the presence of Bruce Lee’s co-star Miss Nora Miao Monday at Montreal’s Theatre Hall Concordia (1455 de Maisonneuve O.) Nora will be hosting the screening at 5:20 p.m. The Bruce Lee films have been digitally restored by a Montreal company.

”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 was a popular actress in the 70s and early 80s. She also played a leading role in Bruce Lee’s “Way of the Dragon”. She holds the distinction as the only actress who ever kissed Bruce Lee on screen.

Over 100 films are screened in the festival from July 7 to 25. Apart from the “Hong Kong Cinema”, Fantasia also features other Asian films, including 25 Japanese feature films, 15 Korean feature films, and films from European, and American countries. The Festival was described by the media as “the coolest festival in the world”.

The video “A Century of Hong Kong Cinema” is also shown during the festival. The documentary includes some classic shots from familiar Hong Kong films, such as fighting scenes with Jacky Chan, or gangsters shots from John Woo, as well as archives from black and white Cantonese films, colour Mandarin musicals, and early kungfu films.

For more information, please contact: Stephen Siu, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416) 924-5544 or email: [email protected].

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