Film Archive exhibition features cinematic highlights of Cantonese opera films (with photos)

The exhibition "Celebrating Inheritance and Integration – 10th Anniversary of Inscription of Cantonese Opera onto Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will run from today (September 6) to December 1 at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA. It explores how elements of Cantonese opera are embedded in films to help preserve this invaluable form of art in a contemporary manner.

Visitors will take their first steps onto Chang'an Street, where the exhibition recreates the scene "Picking up a Jade Hairpin in a Lantern-lit Street" from "The Legend of Purple Hairpin" (1959) using projection mapping and moving images. The lyrics, written by Tong Tik-sang, are projected on some of the lanterns. Visitors can stroll under the colourful lights, while reliving the days and nights along the road. After walking along Chang'an Street, visitors will enter the Gongjia (feats) Zone and the Directors' Zone. At the Gongjia (feats) Zone, one can appreciate the Cantonese opera film stars' unique skills such as feats, gestures and performance practice through 12 specially chosen movie clips. At the Directors' Zone, visitors can learn about the cinematic styles of six directors through their use of cameras, lights and scenes. In addition, video clips featuring interviews with some of the accomplished artists will be screened to illuminate their views on Cantonese opera films.

To complement the exhibition, the HKFA will hold four seminars in Cantonese at its Cinema. The seminars are detailed below:

Date	Time	Topic	Speakers
September 14	2pm	Xiqu Stage Movements in Hong Kong Films	Professor Yuen Siu-fai and Cheung Man-shan
September 28	2pm	Cantonese Opera in Cantonese Film – Tradition Frozen in Frame	Professor Li Siu-leung
October 5	2pm	The Preservation of Cantonese Operatic Music and Formulaic Scenes in Films	Professor Chan Sau-yan
October 12	2pm	When Cinema meets Cantonese Opera	Sam Ho, Janice Chow and Michael Lau