|
MAIN COMPETITION - OPENING FILM
|
|
ALL SHALL BE WELL
|
|
by Ray Yeung (SUK SUK)
|
|
2024 - Hong Kong - Drama - 93 min
|
|
|
|
with Patra AU Ga Man, Maggie LI Lin Lin, Tai Bo
|
|
Angie and Pat are a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades. After Pat's unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of her extended family as she struggles to retain both her dignity and the home that they shared for over thirty years.
|
Screenings:
THU 28 MAR 19:15 Hong Kong Cultural Grand Theatre
SAT 30 MAR 14:15 PREMIERE Elements 1
|
|
BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY
|
|
by Jianjie Lin (Debut Feature)
|
|
2024 - China/France/Denmark/Qatar - Thriller - 99 min
|
|
|
|
with Zu Feng, Guo Keyu, Sun Xilun
|
|
A middle-class family’s fate becomes intertwined with their only son’s enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China, putting unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions under the microscope.
|
Screenings:
WED 3 APR 14:45 PREMIERE Elements 1
SAT 6 APR 21:45 PREMIERE Elements 1
|
|
TERRESTRIAL VERSES
|
|
by Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami
|
|
2023 - Iran - Drama - 77 min
|
|
|
|
with Majid Salehi, Gouhar Kheir Andish, Sadaf Asgari
|
|
Terrestrial Verses follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.
|
Screenings:
FRI 29 MAR 22:15 Emperor Cinemas iSQUARE 3
FRI 5 APR 12:30 PREMIERE Elements 1
|
|
EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING
|
|
by Gábor Reisz
|
|
2023 - Hungary/Slovakia - Drama - 152 min
|
|
|
|
with Gáspár Adonyi-Walsh, István Znamenák, András Rusznák
|
|
It's summer in Budapest, high school student Abel is struggling to focus on his final exams, whilst coming to the realisation that he is hopelessly in love with his best friend Janka. The studious Janka has her own unrequited love with married history teacher Jakab - who had a previous confrontation with Abel’s conservative father. The tensions of a polarised society come unexpectedly to the surface when Abel’s history graduation exam turns into a national scandal.
|
|
128' INTERNATIONAL VERSION AVAILABLE
|
Screenings:
TUE 2 APR 18:45 Emperor Cinemas iSQUARE 3
SUN 7 APR 15:00 Emperor Cinemas Time Square 2
|
|
GREEN BORDER
|
|
by Agnieszka Holland
|
|
2023 - Poland/France/Czech Republic/Belgium - Drama - 152 min
|
|
|
|
with Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Behi Djanati Atai, Mohamad Al Rashi, Tomasz Włosok
|
|
In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called "green border" between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.
|
Screenings:
SAT 30 MAR 21:15 PREMIERE Elements 1
THU 4 APR 19:15 Emperor Cinemas Time Square 2
|
|
ESSENTIAL TRUTHS OF THE LAKE
|
|
by Lav Diaz
|
|
2023 - Philippines/France/Portugal/Singapore/Italy/Switzerland/UK - Drama - 215 min
|
|
|
|
with John Lloyd Cruz, Hazel Orencio, Shaina Magdayao, Bart Guingona, Agot Isidro
|
|
When asked what drives a man to search for the truth, Lieutenant Papauran says dejectedly that maybe he just wants to keep inflicting pain on himself. Faced with President Duterte's bloody murders and brazen lies, he continues his struggle to solve a fifteen-year-old case around an ash-laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. It has become a cross he can barely carry but keeps dragging it anyway.
|
Screenings:
FRI 29 MAR 17:45 Hong Kong City Hall Theatre
THU 4 APR 20:00 Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre
|
|
|
