Final call for Hong Kong film arts and costumes exhibition at Hong Kong Heritage Museum (with photos)

     Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Hong Kong Film Arts Association (HKFAA), the "Out of Thin Air: Hong Kong Film Arts & Costumes Exhibition" being held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) will end on September 4 (Monday). Members of the public are urged to grasp the opportunity to visit this not-to-be-missed exhibition at the HKHM located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin.

     This exhibition is the first of its kind in Hong Kong which comprehensively showcases film arts and costumes of the film industry. It involves more than three years of research and contributions from over 200 film companies and practitioners. Through the display of iconic costumes, props, set design and conceptual drawing manuscripts, paraphernalia, videos and reconstructed scenes of workshops, the exhibition takes visitors into the world behind the scenes. Among the exhibits, many are on display for the very first time. Highlighted exhibits related to props include a rare set design drawing album of many Shaw Brothers Studio period films in the 1960s; a special prop "Underwater horse" in "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" (2013), and Chinese luopan in "Rigor Mortis" (2013). Costume-related exhibits include miniskirts shown in Shaw Brothers Studio films in the 1960s, Maggie Cheung's qipao in "Center Stage" (1991), and Chow Yun-fat's costume in "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (2000).

     To tie in with the exhibition, the HKHM has uploaded onto its website the transcripts of 60 interviews of Hong Kong film arts and costume practitioners, an oral history project commissioned by the museum and conducted by the HKFAA earlier. The interview content was published in four issues of flyer "Architects of Dreams" for free distribution at the gallery so that audiences can learn more about the untold stories behind film production through the personal experiences and behind-the-scenes anecdotes of these practitioners.

     The HKHM has also arranged two sessions of exhibition appreciation where two of the curators, Ms Edith Cheung and Ms Tina Liu, will lead the tour in person respectively on August 25 (Friday) and August 26 (Saturday) at 11.30am. The guided tour will last for around an hour with a quota of 20 participants per session on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested persons should enrol at the gallery entrance 15 minutes before the session commences with a valid admission ticket or a Museum Pass.  

     Collaborating with the Film Programmes Office, the HKHM will launch two free film screenings both adapted from the story of "The Butterfly Lovers" and a post-screening seminar at the theatre on the first floor of the museum. "The Lovers" (1994) directed by Tsui Hark will be screened on August 26 at 2pm. Li Han-hsiang's classic film "The Love Eterne" (1963) will be screened on September 2 (Saturday) at 2pm, followed by a post-screening seminar "Evolution and Variation of Period Costume Design in Three Decades" at 4.15pm on the same day. Costume director and textile specialist Edith Cheung, and film curator and film critic Cecilia Wong, will base their talk on the two films and analyse the innovation in textile materials, colours and cuttings to explore the changes and development in the styles and designs of period costume on screen. Audiences can queue up for admission 15 minutes before the programme commences. The screenings and seminar have limited seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

     For details of the exhibition, admission and related programmes, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/exhibitions/data/exid275.html, or call 2180 8088 for enquiries.

     Apart from the "Out of Thin Air: Hong Kong Film Arts & Costumes" exhibition, visitors are also welcome to visit the "Miss You Much Leslie Exhibition", "Bruce Lee: a Timeless Classic" pop-up display, "A Man Beyond the Ordinary: Bruce Lee" exhibition and "Hong Kong Pop 60+" permanent exhibition to learn more about Hong Kong's pop culture.

     The first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival organised by the LCSD aims to offer an array of programmes, from pop concerts and performances to thematic exhibitions, film screenings, and outdoor and outreach activities, showcasing Hong Kong's unique cultural creativity and vibrancy. For more information on other fascinating programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.