How do you know Hong Kong?
Hollywood of the Far East
The East and West Fusion of Hong Kong can be seen in the food, the architechture, the language but also in cinema.
From Gold to Red: The History of HK Cinema
Hong Kong was named as “Hollywood of the Far East”. Many people might not visit Hong Kong but they heard or watched the signature brand of HK- Kung Fu and the genre of martial arts films since 1970s. With the English subtitled in the HK films demanded by the British in 1960s, HK film industry took off internationally. With the action films actors Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan became more and more popular in Hollywood and all over the world, more and more people knew Hong Kong and the film industry in HK achieved in the golden age untill the early 1990s. The statistics shows, in the early 1990s, there were an average of 400 films produced a year, which led HK as the largest exporter of films in Asia (Tilley-Seager , 2022). During the late 1970s to the early of 1990s, the term “Hong Kong New Wave” came up, which “redefined Hong Kong film and helped to bring about a new era of cinema for the city.” The new generation of innovative directors including Ann Hui, Yim Ho, Tsui Hark, Patrick Tam, Allen Fong, Alex Cheung, Ringo Lam as well as Wong Kar-wai.
The term Hong Kong New Wave refers to a period of films made in the late 1970s onwards, in which filmmakers pushed against mainstream commercial cinema. Many of these films were independently produced and funded by private sources, out of reach from the state-owned film studios.These directors focused on creating a new style of film that was uniquely Hong Kong and that would tell stories relevant to the city’s inhabitants. The majority of these films were action movies with an emphasis on martial arts and gunplay.
What Is Hong Kong New Wave Cinema? The Definitive Guide
HK film industry in limbo
However, from the mid-1990s, the international film powerhouse drastic declined.
The number of film production from 242 in 1993 dropped to 92 in 1998, then to 55 in 2005.


According to Li, Huang and Dee (2019), the Hong Kong film industry’s performance at international film festivals was likewise affected. The film industry last submitted entries to the Cannes Film Festival in 2009, to the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008, and to the Venice Film Festival in 2011.
The Factors behind the Challenges
- inhibiting creativity– to meet the skyrockting demand of the market, to appease its principal investors–overproduction
- political & economic lanscape after HK’s handover to China ( 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, 2002 SARS epidemic, 2020 Covid Pandemic etc.)
- HK filmmakers forfeit their artistic integrity and creative freedom–loss the HK film industry’s distinct identity: Cultural relevance and diversity
- Audiences tastes changed and strong competition from foreign films
- rampant piracy
- lack of infracture in both production and distribution (education, declined number of cinemas, screens, financial support, copyright, marketing etc.)


Reflective and Revival
Through the growth and decline in the HK film industry, The Hong Kong Government has played a pivotal role in the revival of the Hong Kong film industry (Li, Huang and Dee , 2019). Hong Kong Film Development Council (FDC, founded in 2007), Hong Kong International Film and TV Market and Hong Kong International Film Festival, Film Development Fund (FDF), Create Hong Kong and Hong Kong Arts Development Council, CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Agreement), which promote the creative industriesin HK especially via facilitating film infrastructural solutions and provide financial support to HK film industry,.
After the end of their golden era in the 90s, Hong Kong films are seeing a domestic revival. But they still struggle at international box offices, says Jacky Leung, who is an award-winning journalist who has worked in multiple Hong Kong TV and radio news stations. He is currently based in London.
In the history of Oscars, there have been 7 Chinese-language films shortlisted for the “Best Foreign Language Film”, namely “Ju Dou” in 1991, “Raise the Red Lantern” in 1992, “Farewell My Concubine” and “The Wedding Banquet” in 1994, 1995’s “Eating and Drinking Men and Women”, 2001’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and 2003’s “Hero”. Among them, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” directed by Ang Lee won 4 awards including the best foreign language film Oscars.
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/42K2pP3gLKU
In 2021, Hong Kong scored its first major Oscar nomination since the 1997 handover, as Derek Tsang’s brutal school bullying drama Better Days made the shortlist for Best International Feature Film for the first time since Chen Kaige’s 1993 drama Farewell, My Concubine.
Many domestically well-received Hong Kong movies don’t even have a chance to show in Southeast Asia, historically an important market. The migration wave has allowed more Hong Kong movies to be shown in the UK. However, in terms of Jacky Leung’s observation in London cinemas is that the ratio of British attendees is much lower compared to Korean and Japanese movies. The lack of marketing makes HK film fall behind Korean and Japanese films even the arthouse films.
“Whether HK movies have died” has became the topic for people debate in recent years, and the ease of social distance policy and the reopening of cinemas in the second half od 2022 in HK led to a surprising rebound for the local film industry. During the weekend, I have watched 4 movies taken and released during the pandemic, it can been seen that with the limited funds and the hard environment, it stimulates the filmmakers to think about how to regain their positions. Although the themes are different , it could be seen the local feelings, cultural landscape and social probelms (conflict?). The film was shot in public housing estates, community centers, parks, and pedestrain tunnels, full of traces of ordinary life.


“The future may look bleak for Hong Kong cinema but recent years have also seen the rise of a new generation of filmmakers” (Tilley-Seager , 2022). It is hard to define what is a succesful movie (the box office result could be one of the criteria), how can make Hong Kong films have more opportunities to be seen and how to restransmit the characteristic cultural connotation of this small place to the world are the issues I hope to explore in this project.
