The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is inviting organisations that wish to sponsor the 2020 National Day Fireworks Display to submit applications on or before June 26 (Friday).

     The fireworks display will be held on October 1 (Thursday).

     Applications should be submitted to the Secretariat of the Fireworks Vetting Committee (address: Community Programmes Office, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, 8/F, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, 18 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong).

     Further enquiries can be made on 2591 1207.

     The exhibition "A Different Brilliance – The D & B Story", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is being held from today (June 12) to August 30 at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA. It revisits D & B Films Company's productions in the 1980s to 1990s, which marks a golden age of Hong Kong movies.
 
     The exhibition begins with a brief timeline introducing D & B's history, which leads visitors to three thematic zones. The first zone includes "Women in D & B Films" and "The First Timers in D & B". The former introduces D & B's movies produced from female perspectives while the latter highlights the debuts of renowned directors, scriptwriters and actors. The second zone displays rare film artefacts such as a hand-written screenplay of "An Autumn's Tale" (1987), hand-painted stills of "The Owl vs Bumbo" (1984), black-and-white portrait photos of "Love unto Wastes" (1986) and colour slides of various movies. A light box portraying stills and behind-the-scenes photos is placed above the artefacts, allowing visitors to learn the stories behind D & B's production process.
 
     Moreover, the zone "Hall of Songs" features a pub setting which is inspired by a scene in Patrick Tam's "Final Victory" (1987). Film scores from D & B's films will be played to rekindle visitors' memories of the classic moments in D & B films as well as collective memories of the 1980s.
 
     Admission to the exhibition is free. For details, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/exhibitions/tdbs.html.
 
     In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, special opening hours from 10am to 5pm daily (closed on Tuesdays) will be implemented. Children aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. For details, please visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/aboutus/openhl.html or contact the HKFA at 2739 2139.

        

     A spokesperson for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau today (June 12) announced that about 3 400 applications had been approved for disbursement of subsidies totalling over $150 million under the five tourism industry support schemes in the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, covering travel agents, travel agents' staff, freelance practitioners whose main occupations are tourist guides and tour escorts, hotels and drivers of tour service coaches mainly serving tourists.

     As at June 11, under the five support schemes, applications from about 1 500 travel agents and about 13 700 of their staff, about 4 000 freelance practitioners whose main occupations are tourist guides and tour escorts, about 330 hotels and about 3 530 tour service coach drivers had been received.

     The spokesperson said that the Government will process the applications as soon as possible to provide eligible applicants with timely financial support. Furthermore, the application period of the Travel Agents and Practitioners Support Scheme will close next Monday (June 15).

     Details about application and the subsidies of the aforementioned schemes are available at the Tourism Commission's website (www.tourism.gov.hk).

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

    The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 12) that the Environmental Protection Department has classified the water quality at Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District as Grade 3, which means the water quality has improved and the beach is suitable for swimming. The red flag has been lowered.

     The red flag was hoisted at the beach earlier on due to the water quality being classified as Grade 4 and unsuitable for swimming.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 12) that Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun District is temporarily closed until further notice for maintenance of the shark prevention net. The red flag has been hoisted at the beach. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.