The Hong Kong International Film Festival returns from April 1 to 12 this year, marking its 50th edition. Framed under the theme “50 and Beyond: Framing the Future,” this year’s programme brings together a wide range of films, filmmakers and public-facing events, balancing its long-standing history with a continued focus on new voices and cross-regional exchange. From major premieres to international guests and special programmes, here are the key highlights to know

Opening film: We Are All Strangers

The festival opens with the Asian premiere of Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers, starring Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler. As the final chapter of his Growing Up trilogy, the film continues Chen’s exploration of familial bonds, extending beyond traditional definitions of family. Following its selection at the Berlin International Film Festival, it sets a reflective and emotionally grounded tone for the 50th edition.

Filmmaker in focus: Jia Zhangke

At the centre of this year’s programme is Jia Zhangke, named Filmmaker in Focus for the Golden Jubilee. A defining figure of China’s Sixth Generation, his work, including Xiao Wu, Platform, Still Life and Ash is Purest White, explores identity, displacement and the social transformations of modern China. His long-standing connection with HKIFF, dating back to the early presentation of Xiao Wu, makes this retrospective particularly resonant. The programme also includes a Face-to-Face session, along with commemorative publications and collaborations, placing Jia firmly within the festival’s ongoing history.

International Highlights

Among the international guests, Academy Award–winning actress Juliette Binoche is one of the key figures this year. She will present her latest works, including her directorial debut In-I In Motion and Queen at Sea, alongside a dedicated retrospective, “Juliette Binoche: The Choreographer of Emotion,” featuring Three Colours: Blue, The English Patient and Certified Copy. She will also take part in masterclasses and public sessions during the festival.

Also featured is Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, which will have its Hong Kong premiere during the festival. Marking his first leading role in a European production, the film extends Leung’s international presence as one of Hong Kong cinema’s most recognised actors. Directed by the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning filmmaker and first premiered at Venice, Silent Friend offers a quiet exploration of humanity and its relationship with nature.

Festival ambassadors in conversation with Asian talents

HKIFF50 places a clear emphasis on actors as well, led by this year’s ambassadors Angela Yuen and Tony Wu. Yuen, recognised for her Best Actress–nominated performance in The Narrow Road at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards, returns for a second year, while Wu, Best New Performer winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Weeds on Fire, joins for the first time.

They are joined by Asian Visionary Ambassadors Gingle Wang, a Taiwanese actress known for Detention and The Falls, and Win Metawin, a Thai actor who gained regional recognition through F4 Thailand. Together, they extend the festival’s reach across Asia while highlighting a new generation of actors. This focus continues in “Asian Talents in Conversation: Framing the Future” on April 2, where Yuen, Wang and Metawin will discuss collaboration, cultural differences and cross-regional filmmaking.

Restorations, special screenings and live events

This year’s festival also reflects on its history through a selection of restored international and Chinese-language classics. International highlights include Roberto Rossellini’s Year One, which opened the inaugural festival in 1977 and returns in a new restoration, alongside Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin and Queen Kelly. Chinese-language classics are equally central, with Vive L’Amour, Cageman, Final Victory and Sorrows and Joys of a Middle-aged Man revisiting key works from Hong Kong and the wider region.

The programme also extends into live and cross-disciplinary formats. A key highlight is the Asian premiere of In the Mood for Love – In Concert, presented in collaboration with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Staged across three performances at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on 2 and 3 April, the event reimagines Wong Kar-wai’s film, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung, with a live orchestral performance conducted by Joshua Tan.

Closing film: Cyclone

Finally, the festival closes with Cyclone, directed by Philip Yung and starring Liu Yuqiao, Edwynn Li and Jenny Suen. Centred on identity and belonging, the film traces the lived realities of transgender experience and social marginalisation with a quiet, contemporary sensibility. Following its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, it arrives in Hong Kong as a fitting close to the festival’s 50th edition – grounded, reflective and attuned to the present.

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