- Store in Sham Shui Po sources many of its movie posters from Japan as the B5-size common there is popular among cinephiles for being compact
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Gary Wong is the founder of Moviemarks. Photo: Xiaomei ChenAt first glance, Moviemarks – with its Japanese posters of classic Hong Kong and international films – seems like just another cafe in Sham Shui Po.
But behind its doors lies a movie memorabilia shop hoping to promote the city’s film culture.
Operating exclusively on weekday evenings and weekends, the shop offers an array of movie pamphlets and hundreds of meticulously sorted folders holding B5-size film fliers imported from Japan. It also sells movie-related items designed by Hong Kong artists.
The store’s founder, Gary Wong Tak-hei, explained: “Once people finish watching a movie in the cinemas, they usually disperse. But here at Moviemarks, I aspire to create a space where film lovers can gather and share their passion as well as provide an alternative movie experience for Hongkongers.”
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The 30-year-old, who works as a video editor, has been collecting movie fliers since his youth. Four years ago, his hobby led to the start of Moviemarks, located at the time in Sham Shui Po’s Dragon Centre.
He recalled what drove him to open the shop: “My collection outgrew the space I had ... I also longed to share my passion and meet other like-minded people.”
Little did he expect that his store would connect with a dedicated community of movie buffs and amass over 11,000 followers on Instagram. As the demand for film memorabilia grew, Wong expanded his operation by moving to a larger space in Sham Shui Po last year.
Expanding beyond its merchandise, Moviemarks has collaborated with local directors and distributors to hold events at cinemas and in the shop. “As more people get to know us, I hope this space can do more to support Hong Kong’s movie industry,” the owner said.
Rare finds
Moviemarks has thousands of movie fliers, catalogued into sections for films from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and the West – and most of the posters are in Japanese.
While films in Hong Kong are promoted usually on A3-size posters, many cinephiles in the city prefer the smaller B5-size that is often distributed for free at Japan’s cinemas.
“What makes the Japanese fliers special is that they have a unique design,” Wong said. “In particular, [their] fliers for Hong Kong movies not only change the main visual but also use bolder colours and fonts.”
Moviemarks’ eight folders for Hong Kong cinema are among its most popular – and pricey – items, especially those for classics like An Autumn’s Tale, a romance from 1987, and A Chinese Odyssey, a 1995 comedy.
“It is particularly difficult to find posters of the city’s old movies,” Wong explained.
While rarer items like these are mainly acquired through online auctions and experienced collectors, most of Moviemarks’ fliers, priced from HK$22, are sourced from Wong’s friends in Japan.
The cinephile noted why people love physical items like these: “Flipping through the folders to search for the poster of a movie you love is like a treasure hunt.”
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Support for Hong Kong cinema
After completing secondary school in 2012, Wong’s passion for movies brought him to Japan where he spent four years studying the language and specialising in film promotion. There, he frequented the cinemas and was deeply impressed by local movie culture.
“Every cinema in Japan has a movie merchandise shop selling related items like bookmarks, postcards and booklets,” the collector pointed out.
Inspired by this experience, Moviemarks began holding private movie screenings and sharing sessions last June to enrich the experience of Hong Kong’s film-goers. So far, it has hosted seven of these events.
“The price is slightly more expensive than usual cinema tickets, but in return, audiences receive a souvenir pack that includes our specially designed movie ticket,” Wong explained. Featuring illustrations and key details about the film, the Moviemarks ticket also provides space for viewers to write their reviews.
The shop owner hopes the space can continue to be a platform for local movies, from displaying posters to hosting directors’ private screenings or discussions.
“Although we are still a small shop with limited influence, we hope to support Hong Kong’s film industry by encouraging more people to watch movies in cinemas, particularly local productions,” he said.
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