[2024.07.06] HONG KONG FILM GALA PRESENTATION OPENS IN CAMBODIA

Larine Tang is surprised by her popularity at the opening ceremony
courtesy of on.cc

The Asian Film Awards Academy organized, the Cultural and Creative Industry Development Office and the Film Development Fund funded and co-organized HONG KONG FILM GALA PRESENTATION AND DYNAMIC CITYSCAPES OF HONG KONG FILMS EXHIBITION opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 3 at the Factory, the largest cultural and creative park in Southeast Asia. Many Hong Kong filmmakers in front of and behind the scenes include TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN (GAU LUNG SING JAI JI WAI SING) producer Chan Law Chiu, producer John Chong Ching, actor Josev Lau (Kiu Ching Fu), OUT OF THE SHADOW (NGOR DAI DIK YUN TUI SUN WOOT) director Ricky Ko Chi Bun and actress Larine Tang Yueping, AS IT BURNS (BAK JAU YU FUN) producer Kinnie Cheung Kit Nei attended the opening to kick off the "Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation" screening event that would be held from July 3 to 7 and the "Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Film Exhibition" that would be on display until August 4.

This event will be held for the first time in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during which seven selected Hong Kong films will be screened. They would include TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN, THE GOLDFINGER, OUT OF THE SHADOW, FLY ME TO THE MOON, AS IT BURNS, I DID IT MY WAY and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (FA YEUNG NIN WA). In addition to screenings, there will also be conversations and interviews with filmmakers, and the "Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Film Exhibition" that will recreate impressive scenes from six recent Hong Kong films and showcase the diversity of Hong Kong's urban landscape and life culture.

TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN attracted an attendance of more than 1.59 million. With a box office approaching HK$ 110 million, it has become the Hong Kong film with the highest attendance. When the good news came, the film team included producer Chan Law Chiu, producer John Chong Ching, executive producer Kinnie Cheung Kit Nei and actor Josev Lau (Kiu Ching Fu) have just arrived in Phnom Penh to attend the opening event of the "Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation" Cambodia stop. Upon receiving this exciting good news, producer Chan Law Chiu said, "Everyday the box office performance is a surprise. The good news coming from all over the world and the love by audiences in many places have made us more confident in this film. The film will next be released in four to five countries in Asia, including Japan and South Korea. I hope more audiences will like TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS and Hong Kong movies." Actor Kiu Ching Fu said, "The feeling of breaking a record is very dreamy, like the feeling of making history. I feel very honored to be able to participate in it." Producer Chong Ching, director Soi Cheang Pou Soi, the cast and the crew were also happy. When the team came to Phnom Penh, they were pleasantly surprised by the rapid development of the place and felt the enthusiasm of the locals. After the screening, the audience responded enthusiastically and asked in-depth questions, which showed that they were quite attentive while watching the movie. Producer Chan Law Chiu was particularly impressed by the Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Films Exhibition held at the event. "They found a lot of antique TV sets and nostalgic products, not only from the sets from TWILIGHT, but also from other movies like the neon signs from A LIGHT NEVER GOES OUT (DUN FOR LAN SHAN), the classroom from TIME STILL TURNS THE PAGES (NIN SIU YUT GEI), the gold vault of THE GOLDFINGER (GUM SAU JI), all of which had a lot of thought put into them."

OUT OF THE SHADOW director Ricky Ko Chi Bun had a very good first impression of Phnom Penh. "There are many high-rise buildings and foreign restaurants here. The economy has taken off. The hotels we stayed in and restaurants made me feel that the locals are very friendly. Here the coffee was very good, and it was quite a surprise." Actress Larine Tang Yueping, who attended the event on behalf of the film, also praised the locals for being friendly and smiling. She felt that the locals loved Hong Kong movies, which instantly filled her with enthusiasm and made her want to hurry and make more good movies in Hong Kong. At the same time she was also encouraged by the success of TWILIGHT. "TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS has recently set off a craze in different Asian countries and brought glory to Hong Kong, which has made me proud to be a part of Hong Kong movies. I hope investors and producers can have more confidence in Hong Kong movies." Tang Yueping said that she was very popular when she attended the event. In addition to the audience constantly inviting her to take photos, the host of the event even asked her if she had time to go sightseeing in the local area and offered to be her tour guide. She was flattered.