I had never felt as betrayed as when I first saw Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai’s 1995 classic, Fallen Angels (header image). Why? Because after each consecutive frame, I realised just how much The Matrix, and so many other American films, had plagiarised from that film.
From November 2 to 8, Cinema Akil in Al Serkal Avenue will present the Hong Kong Film Gala with eight carefully curated films from one of those most creative, innovative sections of the world. Find tickets here.
Actress Gladys Li (Once in A Blue Moon), director Delon Siu (True Love, for Once in My Life), director Jonathan Li (Dust to Dust), and famed film critic Kevin Ma will all be in attendance across the festival for Q&A’s and film discussions.
The full schedule can be seen below:
| 2 Nov (Sat) | 3 Nov (Sun) | 4 Nov (Mon) | 5 Nov (Tue) | 6 Nov (Wed) | 7 Nov (Thu) | 8 Nov (Fri) | |
| 19:00 | Once in A Blue Moon* | Dust to Dust* | Stuntman | Love Lies | A Better Tomorrow | In The Mood for Love | |
| 19:15 | True Love, for Once in My Life* | ||||||
| 22:00 | Time Still Turns the Pages |
On top of the screenings of modern films, the festival will also show two Hong Kong classics: A Better Tomorrow and In The Mood for Love, the latter directed by Wong Kar Wai (if you need some insight into just how good he is, listen to the clip blow of Quentin Tarantino gushing over his body of work).
Although Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, he spent his life in Hong Kong, and would be the lightning rod for the west’s unrelenting fascination with Kung Fu movies and the ensuing explosion of Hong Kong cinema. Whether it’s John Woo’s 1992 slow motion bullet-time classic Hard Boiled, or Jackie Chan’s Police Story series, the influence this region had, and continues to have, on western filmmaking is undeniable, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, then I suggest you get your popcorn ready and head down to Cinema Akil in early November.
