The Film Programmes Office (FPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the "Summer Family Cine Fest" (SFCF) from July 13 to August 27 and offer over 50 fun-filled film screenings at the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA), Hong Kong City Hall, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Space Museum (HKSpM) and the North District Town Hall. The programme is one of the highlights of the International Arts Carnival (IAC).
Among the 10 cinematic works in the Feature Films section of the SFCF, seven are animations. In the opening film that swept several major European animation awards "Chicken for Linda!" (2023), a mother causes a commotion across the city just for making a chicken dish. Underneath the frenzy, there lies her daughter's longing for her late father. In "Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light" (2023), the life of Tony, who is an overprotected child with a body that lights up like a bulb, takes an unexpected turn when his peculiar little neighbour enters his world. In "Bim" (2023), a little winged bell embarks on a thrilling journey before Easter in search of an elixir to prevent the world from plunging into eternal winter.
In "Teca & Tuti: A Night at the Library" (2023), a little clothes moth, Teca, suddenly gains the ability to read and, to unravel a mystery, she decides to venture into a human's library. Two sisters accidentally fall into the magical world of a book in "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds" (2023) where they transform into cats and embark on an extraordinary adventure in the Kingdom of the Winds. In "A Mystery on the Cattle Hill Express" (2023), Clara and Gavin join forces with the world-famous detective Agatha Chichester to solve a mysterious heist of seeds to secure the Cattle Hill farm's future. Inspired by Ukrainian mythology, "Mavka: The Forest Song" (2023) tells the story of the forest guardian Mavka who dispels hatred with love and saves the world from the scourge of war.
Three other feature films in the section are about little boys and girls persevering over adversity. In "Thabo and the Rhino Case" (2023), Thabo dreams of becoming a detective. His first case is to investigate who are the rhino poachers. However, he soon discovers that prejudice is his true adversary. In the "New Tales of Franz" (2023), Franz inadvertently provokes a bandit when trying to make peace between his two best friends leading all three into a thrilling and hilarious adventure. "Big Dreams" (2023) is a highly acclaimed Czech film of recent years. It chronicles the inspiring journey of a group of underestimated youngsters breaking into the world of ice hockey through faith and solidarity.
The "Youthful Encounter" section has specially selected "How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (2022)". Twelve-year-old Justine, who is tired of her parents’ constant quarrels, hatches a plan to get them divorced with the help of her friends and classmates in a "Youth Court". However, the unfolding events do not go as expected, and lead to a surprisingly heartwarming ending.
The "Film Tunnel" section of the SFCF will screen "Babe" (1995), which won the Best Visual Effects category of the Academy Awards. Facing the teasing and prejudice from the other animals on the farm, a little pig, Babe, not only learns to herd sheep but also win a sheepherding contest under the care and guidance of a sheepdog. This classic family comedy is both uplifting and touching, evoking laughter and tears alike.
In addition, the FPO will co-organise with the HKSpM to present the dome show "3-2-1 Liftoff! The Space Adventures of Elon the Hamster" (2021) at the Space Theatre of the HKSpM. The audiences will follow Elon the Hamster in his fight to overcome a series of obstacles to return to space a robot that has accidentally crashed onto Earth with limited time. After the screenings, audiences will be invited to join an interactive demonstration at the HKSpM Lecture Hall to explore the science behind rocket manufacturing and space-station orbiting. The activity will be conducted in Cantonese.
Veteran dubbing artists Yip Ka-man and Kinson Lai will perform live Cantonese dubbing for "Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light", "Bim" and "A Mystery on the Cattle Hill Express" with no subtitles. "3-2-1 Liftoff! The Space Adventures of Elon the Hamster" is in Cantonese, with English available through the headphone system, with no subtitles. Other films have Chinese and English subtitles.
A post-screening tips-sharing session on parenting will be held after the opening screening of "Chicken for Linda!" on July 13 at the HKFA Cinema, and will be conducted in Cantonese.
Apart from the feature films, the FPO has hand-picked 23 animation and short films from around the world to present three "World Animation & Shorts" programmes, titled "Love and Companion", "Wisdom in Stories" and "Think Outside the Box". Professional actor and drama tutor Man Jai (Raymond Chan) will host an introduction in Cantonese for the programmes.
Tickets priced at $80 will be available from tomorrow (May 10) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2900 or visit https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=60.
　　
For details of other IAC progranmmes, please visit the following website www.hkiac.gov.hk.
Follow this news feed: East Asia