Hong Kong Celebrates Cinema at International Film Festivals Across the U.S.

2024-11-02 10:00 Last Updated At：10:08

HKETO San Francisco celebrates long-term collaborations with film festivals in Hawai'i, New Mexico and California

Through October, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO San Francisco) celebrated another year of successful collaborations with the Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) in Hawai'i, the Santa Fe International Film Festival (SFiFF) in New Mexico and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) in California to foster cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and these locations in the United States.

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HKETO San Francisco celebrates long-term collaborations with film festivals in Hawai'i, New Mexico and California Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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HKETO San Francisco celebrates long-term collaborations with film festivals in Hawai'i, New Mexico and California Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

In Honolulu, Hawai'i, SFETO and its long-time collaborator HIFF once again curated the Spotlight on Hong Kong programme, which featured six Hong Kong productions that included new releases and a restored classic: "Love Lies", "The Last Dance", "Stuntman", "All Shall Be Well", "Fly Me to The Moon" and "Shanghai Blues". The festival was held from October 3 to 13 (Honolulu time).

Speaking at the VIP reception hosted by HKETO San Francisco on October 11 (Honolulu time), the Director of HKETO San Francisco, Ms Jacko Tsang, said the return of "Making Waves - Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema", presented by the Hong Kong International Film Society, made the Hong Kong programme at the 44th edition of the festival even more remarkable this year. She pointed out that the First Feature Film Initiative supported by the Hong Kong Film Development Council had funded 24 films with over $120 million since 2013, and that SFETO was excited to showcase these excellent works by new talent in the Hong Kong film industry.

At the Awards Gala of the HIFF on October 12 (Honolulu time), iconic Hong Kong actress and filmmaker Sandra Ng was honoured with the HIFF Spotlight On Hong Kong Filmmaker in Profile. She attended the festival with renowned filmmaker Peter Chan and received the award from celebrity comedian Ronny Chieng. Alongside Ng, Hong Kong actresses Patra Au and Michelle Wai, as well as directors Sasha Chuk, Anselm Chan, Albert Leung and Hebert Leung also participated in the festival. They attended live post-screening Q&A sessions at the primary screening of their respective films. The audience greatly appreciated their presence with enthusiastic interactions.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, HKETO San Francisco collaborated with SFiFF for the second consecutive year. "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" and "All Shall Be Well", two talk-of-the-town feature films from Hong Kong, were showcased at the festival held from October 16 to 20 (Santa Fe time).

Hosting the filmmakers' brunch on October 19 (Santa Fe time), Ms Tsang introduced some of the latest measures implemented by the Hong Kong Government to inject new power into Hong Kong cinema, including the Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme, which aims to subsidise film projects coproduced by filmmakers from European and Asian countries to produce films featuring Hong Kong, European and Asian cultures. She encouraged filmmakers to explore opportunities in Hong Kong and be a part of the revival journey of Hong Kong cinema.

In Los Angeles, California, the third annual "LAAPFF Presents: Hong Kong Generations of Cinema" took place on October 26 and 27 (Los Angeles time) featuring six Hong Kong titles from different decades around the theme of Cantopop: "Rouge", "Days of Being Wild", "Happy Together", "July Rhapsody", "Anita" and "The Lyricist Wannabe". Each film highlights the connection between music and storytelling in Hong Kong's film history.

Delivering her remarks after a special reception on October 26 (Los Angeles time), Ms Tsang said that the office was honoured to work with Visual Communications, the organisation behind the LAAPFF, to bring the programme to Los Angeles three years in a row. She expressed delight that the programme had expanded from a one-day showcase to a two-day celebration of Hong Kong cinema following the success of the first two years.

The above Hong Kong film programmes were made possible with the support from the Film Development Fund, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Hong Kong Customs Seizes 16.6kg of Drugs Worth $10 Million at International Airport

2024-12-25 23:28 Last Updated At：23:38

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected ketamine at airport

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 24) and today (December 25) detected three drug trafficking cases at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 6.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine and about 10kg of suspected ketamine with a total estimated market value of about $10 million.

The first case involved a 46-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Lagos, Nigeria, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found him to be suspicious and suspected that the passenger had dangerous drugs concealed inside his body cavity. He was then escorted to the hospital for examination. Upon examination, the man was confirmed by a doctor to have foreign objects concealed inside his body cavity and was arrested subsequently. As at 7pm today, the arrested person has discharged 69 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1.2kg in total.

The second case involved one male passenger, aged 29, and arrived in Hong Kong from London, England via Doha, Qatar, yesterday. During customs clearance, about 5.4kg of suspected cocaine was seized from his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested. The dangerous drugs were concealed in two stuffed toys and put inside his carry-on suitcase.

The third case involved a 30-year-old female passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, today. During customs clearance, about 10kg of suspected ketamine was found in three plastic bags inside her check-in suitcase. The female was subsequently arrested.

The investigation of the first case is still ongoing and the arrested man is currently under medical surveillance.

The arrested persons of the second and the third case have each been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The cases will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (December 26).

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary returns. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Celebrates Cinema at International Film Festivals Across the U.S.

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