Hong Kong – Hong Kong films and talent celebrated in Chicago (with photos)

     Hong Kong films highlighted the closing weekend (April 19 to 21, Chicago time) of Season 18 of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC).
      
     Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), the boutique film festival presented nine Hong Kong films in the theatre and online under the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase banner.
      
     Two Hong Kong film talents were honoured on the closing night on April 20 (Chicago time) – legendary actress and singer Rebecca Pan was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while actor Carlos Chan received the Bright Star Award.
      
     In addition, APUC screened the documentary “Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom”, which incorporates lost recordings of Pan’s 1972 musical, “Pai Niang Niang”, which has been regarded as Hong Kong’s first musical production in the Chinese language. Chan’s “We Are Family” was chosen as the closing-night feature.
      
     Apart from Chan, four directors whose works were featured in the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase, namely Isabel Wong (“Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom”), Benny Lau (“We Are Family”), Lai Yan-chi (“Band Four”) and Kelvin Shum (“It Remains”), were also invited to attend APUC’s closing night.
      
     Paying tribute, the Director of HKETONY, Ms Maisie Ho, said that Pan is a trailblazer and a Hong Kong icon whose illustrious and prolific career in the world of music, film and the arts spans over six decades.
      
     “I’m pleased that the Chicago audience has a chance to watch the United States premiere of the documentary, ‘Pai Niang Niang: The Last Osmanthus Blossom’, that captures an important piece of history of Hong Kong art and culture,” she said.
      
     She added Hong Kong’s dynamic film and entertainment industry, with its storied history, has an abundance of talent, from pioneers like Pan to emerging talent like Chan. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to support the city’s creative industries, including the film industry, and nurture talent.