With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai (Dubai ETO), the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and the Film Development Fund, the week-long Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation concluded in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A series of new and classic Hong Kong films were on display and received much acclaim from local audiences.
Presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, the highly anticipated film festival was held from November 2 to 8 (Dubai time) at Dubai's Cinema Akil. A total of eight Hong Kong films were screened, with a wide range of genres, including action, thrillers and romantic dramas to showcase the diversity of Hong Kong's arts and culture. Other than the opening film "True Love, for Once in My Life", local audiences also enjoyed "Once in A Blue Moon", "Time Still Turns the Pages", "Dust to Dust", "Stuntman", "Love Lies", as well as two classic films "A Better Tomorrow" and "In The Mood For Love".
Delon Siu, director of "True Love, for Once in My Life"; Jonathan Li, director of "Dust to Dust"; Gladys Li, actress in "Once in A Blue Moon"; and film critic, Kevin Ma, travelled to Dubai to attend the opening reception of the film festival organised by the Dubai ETO and to interact with local film enthusiasts after the screenings. They also attended a forum held at the American University of Sharjah in UAE to discuss with students the future of storytelling in Hong Kong cinema.
Speaking at the reception to over 100 guests, the Deputy Director of the Dubai ETO, Mr Leo Poon, promoted Hong Kong's unique position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges. He remarked that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is committed to fostering the cultural development of Hong Kong, which is a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures with extensive international connections.
"As proposed by the Chief Executive in the 2024 Policy Address, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will formulate the Blueprint for Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Development to promote the development of diverse arts and culture with an international perspective, and to foster arts and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world. The Government also announced in the 2024-25 Budget that it will inject more than HK$4 billion in total into the Film Development Fund and the CreateSmart Initiative to support projects in various areas such as film, arts and design. We look forward to having more excellent local arts and cultural programmes and talents in the Middle East to showcase Hong Kong's unique charm as the East-meets-West Centre for international cultural exchange."
Looking ahead, the Dubai ETO will continue to promote cultural exchanges as well as Hong Kong's high-quality cultural and creative industries through its regular offerings as well as novel events in the region.
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