From Wong Kar-wai’s haunting odes to love and loss to the genre-defining action films of John Woo, few places have left as indelible a mark on cinema as Hong Kong. This November, cinema returned the favour as the legendary Festival de Cannes Film Week descended upon K11 Musea to celebrate Hong Kong’s impact, share knowledge, and of course, screen some of the year’s best films.
K11 Group founder Adrian Cheng’s newly opened culture-slash-retail destination made the perfect location for a week-long fete of all-things-film, and the festival’s opening night brought out industry elites as well as up-and-comers from near and far, including Wong Kar-wai, Ann Hui and Johnnie To joining the festivities.
Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne (Young Ahmed) were also on hand, as well as actor Vincent Lacoste (Chambre 212) and director Michael Angelo Covino (The Climb).
Bringing the event to Hong Kong was a labour of love for Cheng, who collaborated with Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Festival de Cannes, to make the week—Cannes’ first appearance in Asia—possible.
“It is my great pleasure to present Asia’s first Festival de Cannes Film Week at K11 Musea,” said Cheng in a statement. “Our goal for K11 Musea and the wider district Victoria Dockside is to build a ‘Silicon Valley of Culture’ in Hong Kong, and in working with Thierry and his team, we have found a partner with the shared vision of propagating film culture, incubating international talents and making world-class cultural content more accessible for our audiences. I hope this is the first of many Film Weeks to come.”