Breaking news with a difference

Promotional material for the new Johnnie To Kei-fung movie Breaking News is breaking with tradition, blurring the lines between journalism and advertising.

In a clever ploy to attract viewers, movie distributor Media Asia transformed its marketing materials into a newspaper supplement hiding between the pages of Tuesday's Sing Pao.

Readers got to experience first-hand what it would be like to be a witness to a real live heist, which is the central theme of the movie. In case you missed it, don't worry. You can grab a Breaking News supplement on the crowded streets of Mongkok and Causeway Bay at the weekend.

In the movie, the bad mainlanders (led by Richie Jen) carry out a risky heist in a typical low-rise apartment building, while the police use the media as a pawn (I know that feeling) to create a high-impact media show for the unassuming Hong Kong public.

The movie was entered in the Cannes Film Festival as an official selection and fared well with the critics.