Five Hong Kong movies were featured at CAAMFest Forward, a newly reimagined and mostly virtual film festival, presented by the San Francisco-based Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). The festival, which ran from October 14 to 18, included drive-in experience and on-demand channel.

CAAM in partnership with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco celebrated Hong Kong cinema at the festival by showcasing five feature films from Hong Kong filmmakers. Ann Hui’s A SIMPLE LIFE was featured in both the drive-in as well as on-demand platforms. Norris Wong’s MY PRINCE EDWARD was one of the two movies included in the drive-in program at Fort Mason, San Francisco on October 15, 2020.

Jacko Tsang, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco welcomed audience via a recorded video at the drive-in theater. She thanked CAAM for identifying movies by two talented Hong Kong female filmmakers of two different generations for the drive-in program.

A SIMPLE LIFE by veteran filmmaker Ann Hui is a heart-warming movie about caring and gratitude. “What a perfect time to watch this award-winning movie as taking care of each other and ourselves take on whole new meanings in this challenging time,” Ms Tsang noted.

MY PRINCE EDWARD is director Norris Wong’s directorial debut. It is also one of the successful projects funded through the First Feature Film Initiative, launched in 2013 by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to nurture young and talented filmmakers.

“The initiative takes the form of a competition of screenplay and production proposals. Funding is provided to the winning new directors and their film production teams to make their first feature films,” Ms Tsang said.

To further encourage the development of Hong Kong’s film industry, the HKSAR Government recently launched the Directors’ Succession Scheme, where established directors will team up with young filmmakers to co-produce films, with subsidies granted.

“We hope that the new Directors’ Succession Scheme will help realize some great projects that we can also bring to the Bay Area audience soon,” Ms Tsang said.

The drive-in experience at Fort Mason offered audience a different way to enjoy Hong Kong cinema. “How strange it is that as we try to adapt to this new normal, we find this classic way of enjoying movies practical again,” she said.

In addition to the drive-in, four Hong Kong movies were included in the festival’s on-demand platform. A SIMPLE LIFE, NAPPING KID by Amos Why, THE GRAND GRANDMASTER by Dayo Wong, and THE GREAT DETECTIVE SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE GREAT JAIL BREAKER by Matthew Chow and Toe Yuen.