The Chinese Film Panorama 2024 entitled "Looking Back to see the Future: A Century of Chinese Animation" will be held from October 9 to November 16, screening 10 delightful feature-length animated films and two short film programmes produced on the Mainland since the 1940s. The films will be shown at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall, the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive, and lecture halls of the Hong Kong Science Museum and Hong Kong Space Museum. Two of the films were selected for free screenings at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC), Cine-Art House (Maritime Square) and the Rayson Huang Theatre of the University of Hong Kong. The Chinese Film Panorama 2024 is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Southern Film Culture Foundation.
The opening film "Into the Mortal World" (2024), directed by Zhong Ding, is a reinterpretation of the mythology of "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl". The weaver girl's son reconnected with his long-lost sister when he is demoted to the mortal world and embarks on an adventure in the divine realm. The film fuses traditional Chinese culture with modern elements and fun, giving audiences a new visual experience.
Adapted from the classical tale "Journey to the West", "Princess Iron Fan" (1941) (4K restored version) is the first Chinese feature-length animated film which follows the monk Tong and his three disciples taking Princess Iron Fan's magical fan amid their pilgrimage, while "The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven" (First and Second Parts) (1961-1964) revolves around the story of the Monkey King wreaking havoc at the heavenly court. Based on the narrative poem originated from the Dai people in Yunnan with the same title, "Peacock Princess" (1963) tells the poignant love story between a prince and a peacock-turned-princess in stop-motion puppet animation.
Based on the novel "Investiture of the Gods", "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" (1979) not only features a remarkable battle between Nezha and the four dragon kings, but also intricately portrays Nezha's spirit of self-sacrifice and the touching relationship between Nezha and his master. The story of "The Legend of Sealed Book" (1983) (4K restored version) is partly taken from the novel "The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt". The protagonist, grandpa Yuan, once the guardian of a heavenly book, has been exiled to the human realm for accidentally exposing the book's content to mortals. In order to save humankind, grandpa Yuan decides to teach a boy called Eggborn the secrets of the heavenly book.
In the hand-painted animation "The Storm" (2024), a ship mysteriously reappears after it has sunk many years ago. A father boards the ship to hunt for the rumoured treasure and goes missing. A thrilling journey ensues as his son goes to the ship to search for his father. Set in the Tang dynasty, "Chang An" (2023) tells a touching epic formed by the friendship among poets including Li Bai, Du Fu and Gao Shi. "Boonie Bears: Time Twist" (2024) fuses elements of sci-fi, action and comedy, among others, with advanced 3D computer animation technology to draw the time-bending adventure of the protagonist named Vick and two bear brothers. "To the Bright Side" (2021), the first original picture book animated film in China, is a collection of seven childhood stories in different visual styles including ink painting art, paper cutting and water colours.
Apart from animated feature films, two collections of animated short films will also be screened. "Animated Short Film Collection 1" features seven animated works from different times: ink-style creations "Baby Tadpoles Look for Their Mother" (1960) and "The Cowherd’s Flute" (1963), stop-motion animation "Mr. Dong Guo" (1955), "Afanti: the Miracle Doctor" (1979), the amusing "36 Characters" (1984), a depiction of lives of lower class children in a comic style "Sanmao: Alone and Neglected" (1984) and the highly artistic "Yao-Chinese Folktales: Ship Down The Well" (2023).
"Animated Short Film Collection 2" also consists of seven distinctive animated short films: ink-styled "Feeling from Mountain and Water" (1988); paper-cut animation "Monkeys Fish the Moon" (1981); stop-motion puppet animation "The Magic Brush" (1955); the Dunhuang mural-inspired "A Deer of Nine Colours" (1981); "Three Monks" (1980), carrying the plots forward only by characters' motions and music; and "Yao-Chinese Folktales: Goose Mountain" (2023) and "Untitled" (2020), showcasing cutting-edge animation technology.
"Into the Mortal World" is in Cantonese while other films are in Putonghua. "Chang An" will be screened on October 14 at Rayson Huang Theatre of the University of Hong Kong and on November 16 at the EKCC for free. Cine-Art House (Maritime Square) will offer a free screening of "Peacock Princess" on October 12. The admission tickets for the screening at Rayson Huang Theatre of the University of Hong Kong will be distributed at The University of Hong Kong Staff Association located at 5/F, TT Tsui Building of the University of Hong Kong starting from September 30. The admission tickets for the free screenings at Cine-Art House (Maritime Square) and EKCC will be distributed at the respective screening locations from September 30 and November 1 respectively. Each person can obtain up to two tickets per screening on a first-come, first-served basis. Other film tickets priced at $70 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme details, please call 2734 2900 (LCSD) or 2780 5355 (Cine-Art House (Maritime Square)) or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=66.
The Chinese Film Panorama 2024 is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.
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