#hk15

Haven’t posted in a while because I more or less didn’t watch the past two seasons, but I guess I’m watching this season so I’ll post overall rankings for now until I actually watch the full episode (I only caught service so I missed the whole challenge)

Awkward story but I’m team red so far (except for one of them almost negating everything). the boys are p lame this year.

lol spoilers

33 day challenge, done.

HK15 over.

Favourite film out of the lot must be LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE, Johnnie To's clever multi-character story about greed and money. 

Thanks to Cathay Pacific and HKETO for their support and to Hong Kong Tourism Board for their prize of a free trip to Hong Kong for our one lucky competition winner.

Thanks also to James Van Dyke and all the crew at Odeon Covent Garden, front of house, projectionist, tuck shop - you guys were all amazing!

Big apologies re the subtitles yesterday for the totally kick-ass Gordon Liu classic, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

It was better we showed it as is, rather than cancel, and almost everyone seemed happy with that decision and they loved The One Armed Swordsman straight after! 

Well, looks like we are good to for tonight!

one of our volunteer staff went in the lunchbreak to the ICA and got into a cab with the print to the Odeon. It's being tested by the projectionist right now....

So, we programmed a landmark film by Fruit Chan from 1997, fittingly, for the 15th anniversary of the HK handover. HKETO, London loved the idea to include it in the programme and it was all go.

FIVE WEEKS AGO

The search was on for the rights holder, with five weeks to go, brochure deadlines looming, and tickets on sales date around the corner, the challenge was to hunt down Fruit Chans company. A bit of sleuth work and phone calls to try get hold of them.

FOUR WEEKS AGO

Fruit Chan's company closed and we were put in touch with Focus Films, Andy Lau's production company - it was actually their first production - via one of our Hong Kong based programming consultants. Managed to get the ok from Focus (via an introduction from a talent manager we know there, totally different department). Film announced, brochures gone to print, website ready to go live, and now, the search for the print...

TWO - THREE WEEKS AGO

We definitely knew the film had been released in the UK and that there must be a film print in existence somewhere on these shores. Uh-oh, just found out from the cinema that the screen we are showing Made in Hong Kong in doesn't have a 35mm projector - time to request the change of screen (not an easy job).

LAST WEEK

Our hunt for the print was stepped up, asking the different distributors who at different times have handled this title in the UK over the last 15 years, contacting ex-members of staff from those organisation to put them on the spot with a random phone calls and emails out of the blue "hey, long time no speak. do you know if...." We went from ICA, to Soda to Manga to the Independent Cinema Office who were all very helpful and keen to assist us in this quest. 

THIS WEEK

At last! The trail brought us back to the ICA and a phone call later via the ICO, we were put in touch with Park Circus, who look after the admin for storing and releasing film prints from old films -although they are in Scotland, they had a print in a storage facility in Middlesex where specialist facilities exist to look after film prints. Great! But....they needed an ok from the rights holders before they could release the print to us. 

So thats all the way back again to Focus Films where we had to await an overnight email. Clocks ticking.....

YESTERDAY

Focus said YES, Park Circus arranged for their facility to release the print to us, within about an hour, the print arrives safely at the Odeon Covent Garden. Phew! Amazing - we had issues with another film being delivered that day too, so this was great news that Made in Hong Kong made it safely.

Or so we thought....about half hour later, the projectionist informs us, that the print is unplayable as it had deteriorated so badly.

One day to go to the screening...tick tock tick tock...

Just before end of the working day, the very nice people at the ICA had managed to locate two 35mm prints of the film in their basement. Amazing news, given the circumstances. Except, they needed an ok from the rights holders as well to release the print - so we forwarded the mail, but it was already end of the working day.

TODAY

Is the film going to screen tonight?

Well, we are still waiting. The prints are at the ICA, permissions from rights holders have been cleared, and now we just need permissions from the print owners to release the prints to us, especially important as they might be the last two prints of this film in this country.

Its 10am now -the projectionist needs it by 1pm to make the prints up (they are stacked in four or five film reels and need to be put together). The ICA reported that the print quality is fine. Just awaiting someone from the print owners company to give the nod then our staff and the odeon staff are at the ready to physically go to the ICA ourselves to take the print to the Odeon.

Who said organising festivals wasn't fun?

So we pulled it off - a film festival in 33 days. Opening Night was a success with the foyer of the cinema taken over with our reception, camera crew from various tv stations, and catering staff wandering the floor with platters of dim sum. Roger Lee, the producer and writer of A SIMPLE LIFE, the Opening Film, was the guest of honour and a great Q&A session afterwards, revealing just how close to real life the film is.

INFERNAL AFFAIRS was a popular draw and we have the Shaw Brothers double bill to look forward to this weekend! 

HK15 Film Festival trailer - aka how many films from Hong Long can you cram into two weeks! Has a Currents section opening with A SIMPLE LIFE with Andy Lau and Deanie Ip and wraps with Johnnie To's LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE.

Plus a 15 Year Review of the most important films since '97, like MADE IN HONG KONG and INFERNAL AFFAIRS and...a double-bill of 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN and ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN!!!!