The 47th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF47) is set to take place from March 30 to April 10. This edition marks the return of overseas filmmakers largely absent from the festival after 2019

The 12-day event features in-person theatrical screenings and events and a bespoke online programme. Here is what #legend knows what we can expect so far.

Soi Cheang (best known for directing The Monkey King trilogy and Limbo) will be celebrated as this year’s Filmmaker-in-Focus. There will be a showcase of Cheang’s 12 seminal works – the publication of a commemorative book and the release of a limited-edition notebook – all in collaboration with long-term festival partner Moleskine. The Macau/Hong Kong filmmaker will also attend a Face-to-Face session to share his insights and vision with the public.

“Soi is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” says Albert Lee, executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. 

He adds, “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates, where one confronts moral bleakness and human perseverance, Soi never fails to detect a ray of hope.”

A tribute to the late French New Wave giant Jean-Luc Godard and his muse and ex-wife, Anna Karina, will also occur with an eight-film programme.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society will continue to celebrate iconic French-Swiss filmmaker’s work beyond HKIFF47 this year. The May/June/July edition of Cine Fan will showcase more films by Godard, who passed away at 91 in September 2022.

To celebrate his 90th birthday, HKIFF47 will also showcase a complete retrospective of Japanese director Itami Juzo’s ten films, all digitally restored in 4K.

Hong Kong entertainment icon Aaron Kwok is back as the festival ambassador for the fifth year. He reunited with internationally-acclaimed visual artist Wing Shya for a series of photographs to promote HKIFF47. 

“Personal interaction is the best form of communication with the audience and among members of the filmmaking community,” he said of the impending return of filmmakers and enthusiasts from abroad for HKIFF47.

HKIFF47 will reveal its entire lineup in a special media event in early March. Stay tuned for more details.

Photos and stills by Hong Kong International Film Festival Society

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