Tai Kwun’s ‘Better Together’: 8 Hong Kong film classics celebrate cinematic partnerships
Tai Kwun’s summer exhibition is here, focusing on the spirit of collaboration in Hong Kong cinema
This year, Tai Kwun’s annual summer show puts the spotlight on a specific aspect of Hong Kong cinema: partnership.
Running until October 4 at Tai Kwun’s Duplex Studio, the exhibition, titled “Better Together – Partnering Up for Hong Kong Movies”, is run in association with the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers. A portion of this year’s ticket sales will go to the federation to support the local film industry.
“Tai Kwun’s annual summer show has become a kind of love-letter to this city as we reflect on those special quirks, eccentricities, qualities and characteristics that make Hong Kong unique,” says Timothy Calnin, the director of Tai Kwun Arts.
Curated by film director Sunny Chan Wing-san, “Better Together” provides introductions to eight classic films, selected scenes of which have been recreated using replica props to give visitors a chance to step into those cinematic worlds.
The upside-down POV of the art gallery from Once a Thief (1991), complete with an inverted chandelier, provides an interesting photo op.
Best known for writing and directing the comedy short Table for Three (2015) and its movie sequel, Table for Six (2022), Chan was a co-curator and creative director of last summer’s “Undercover Underworld” exhibition, which featured films exploring the undercover cop genre in local cinema. This year, he is using the power of film to highlight the cooperative approach that is the backbone of Hong Kong’s movie industry.
Many Hong Kong action flicks feature characters partnering up to take down the baddies, the kind where the stakes are high and the odds are stacked against the heroes, but the power of friendship (and a stroke of luck) prevails in a climactic finale filled with jaw-dropping martial arts moves.
