Everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s first Festival de Cannes Film Week
The success of regional directors including Korea’s Bong Joon-ho and Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda – winners of the top prize Palme d’Or in 2019 and 2018 – prompted the first official Festival de Cannes Film Week in Asia
Hong Kong will be the next red carpet destination for one of the world’s most influential and prestigious film events.
For the first time, the Cannes Film Festival is landing in Asia – with Hong Kong playing host to the Festival de Cannes Film Week. The region is not a surprising choice for the stand-alone series, with Asian artists playing an increasingly influential role at the festival every year.
When Cannes comes around each May, all eyes are fixed on the red carpet, with the French Riviera in the backdrop. It is one of the biggest events of the year, attracting the most glamorous guests from the global entertainment industries, from actors to directors. For 12 days, invitees in Cannes take part in screenings, networking events and parties – while the film world watches and the flashbulbs fire.
The last two years have seen the Palme d’Or awarded to film directors from (Asia)
Now, the party is coming to Hong Kong, and more specifically to K11 Musea, with a series of screenings at the on-site K11 Art House cinema, from November 12-17.
Thierry Frémaux, the general delegate of Festival de Cannes, highlights the region’s significance. “The last two years have seen the Palme d’Or awarded to film directors from this continent: Shoplifters by [Japan’s] Hirokazu Kore-eda in 2018 and, this year, Parasite by [South Korea’s] Bong Joon-ho,” he said.
“The latter, released in Hong Kong in June, was a box office success. Both these directors, like many others before them, have a close relationship with Cannes; they entrust us with their films, we have been following them for years, and today we are delighted to be spectators to their success.”
Organising such an event, Frémaux adds, is a way to celebrate these successes, and Hong Kong is the ideal place for it. Hong Kong filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To Kei-fung, Ann Hui or Tsui Hark have contributed to building the legend of Cannes. “We therefore feel honoured to be welcomed here in return,” said Frémaux.
Cannes Film Week will bring the celebrated Dardenne brothers to our shores for the first time, with their latest film, Young Ahmed, which won the Best Director award at Cannes in May. “Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are part of the very close circle of only eight filmmakers in the world to have won the Palme d’Or twice,” notes Frémaux.
