Hong Kong films debut at New York Asian Film Festival

     Nine Hong Kong films, including two world premieres, one North American premiere, and three New York premieres, will be featured at the 2018 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) in the Walter Reade Theatre of the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts from June 30 to July 12. The two world premieres are Sunny Chan's directorial debut "Men on the Dragon" and Antony Chan’s comeback "House of the Rising Sons".
      
     The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Ms Joanne Chu, said yesterday (June 13, New York time) that the slate of movies, from new releases to action-packed thrillers, highlights the depth of film talent in the territory and underscores the Hong Kong Government’s efforts to nurture film talent and promote film development. For example, "Men on the Dragon", a Film Development Fund project, has been selected by the festival to be the Centerpiece presentation. It is being presented a year after the NYAFF put a special focus on first-time directors from the territory. It has also been selected to compete in the festival’s relaunched Main Competition with six other films.
      
     Sunny Chan, together with actress Jennifer Yu, will attend the premiere and a meet-the-audience session for the movie on July 12. Yu is one of 10 up-and-coming artistes featured in the Hong Kong Film New Action 2018 – Nova Power initiative.  
      
     Antony Chan is an original member and the drummer of the legendary teen-idol band the Wynners, formed in 1973, and he has returned to the director's chair after 26 years to present a vibrant biopic. His previous directorial works included "A Fishy Story", for which he was nominated for Best Director in the 1990 Hong Kong Film Awards. The director will attend the film screening on July 2 to talk about his music and filmmaking career.
      
     Presented under the "Hong Kong Panorama" banner and with the support of HKETONY, Hong Kong films have been the backbone of the annual festival since 2009.  Oxide Pang's "The Big Call" will have its North American premiere on July 4. The three New York premieres are Jonathan Li's debut "The Brink" (July 4), Wilson Yip's "Paradox" (July 4) and Chapman To's "The Empty Hands" (July 6). The star of "The Empty Hands", Stephy Tang, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2018 Hong Kong Film Awards, will attend the film screening and meet the New York audience for the first time
      
     This year is also the time to celebrate the career of Dante Lam, whose first psycho-thriller "Beast Stalker" became an instant modern classic when it was released in 2008. Since then, Lam has been at the creative forefront of the action genre, and the festival will present him with the Daniel A Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. There will be a special 10th anniversary screening of "Beast Stalker" on 35mm (July 1), as well as screenings of his mixed martial arts drama "Unbeatable" (July 1) and his latest film "Operation Red Sea" (June 30). Lam will attend the festival's opening to discuss his films together with long-term producer Candy Leung.
      
     The programme trailer of the "Hong Kong Panorama" can be found at www.facebook.com/hkmeetsamerica/videos/1105792796234459.