L’heure d’été – Hong Kong

For its 13th edition, L’Heure d’Été festival takes you on a journey to Hong Kong!

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement, we will be screening 20 movies, from the 1970s to 2023. These screenings are divided between the Cinéma Galeries and our open-air partners Vaux Hall in Brussels Park and Cultureghem at Les Abattoirs d’Anderlecht.

Hong Kong cinema has always been more than just entertainment; it reflects and supports its unique identity. Faced with a law threatening the region’s judicial independence, citizens demonstrated en masse, denouncing Beijing’s omnipotence and fearing for their autonomous status and culture. The documentaries Raise the Umbrellas and Blue Island not only help us understand the issues that led to the 2014 and 2019 uprisings, but also show us the current psychological state of Hong Kong society. 

Historically, the metropolis’ cinema has played a crucial role in promoting the Cantonese language and building bridges between Asia and the West. Despite the challenges, this cinema has always been able to renew and adapt. If the death of Bruce Lee, whose last film shot in Hong Kong, Game of Death, marked the end of an era for martial arts films in the 70s, it also paved the way for a new generation of daring directors in the 1980s. The Hong Kong First New Wave, led by directors such as Tsui Hark (Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind; The Chinese Feast), Patrick Tam (Nomad) and Alex Cheung (Cops and Robbers), introduced innovative styles and unique perspectives, redefining traditional genres and breaking free from commercial constraints.

In the 1990s, Hong Kong enjoyed a golden age of filmmaking, producing over 400 films a year. However, the Asian economic crisis and the handover to mainland China in 1997 weakened the industry. This marked the beginning of the Second New Wave, led this time by Fruit Chan (Made in Hong Kong), Stanley Kwan (Rouge; Love Unto Waste) and of course Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love; Chungking Express). A second round of directors has emerged, bringing an internationally acclaimed auteur cinema, particularly in Cannes and Berlin. Their films, aesthetically innovative and narratively intimate, consolidated the worldwide reputation of Hong Kong cinema. 

Today, Hong Kong’s movie output has plummeted to around 60 films a year, competing with gigantic Chinese productions. However, the spirit of revolt and the quest for identity remain powerful driving forces for new filmmakers. Works such as Ten Years and Mad World show that cinema remains a vital means of expression and resistance in the face of growing oppression.

Hong Kong’s cinematic heritage is one of the richest in the world, constantly reinventing itself through its unique language and history. At a time of crisis for Hong Kongers, and despite the exhaustion of protests in recent years due mainly to the imprisonment or exile of opponents of the Chinese regime, we can only hope that a third and new wave will soon emerge from their impact. And no matter how many days of tear-gas fog separate us from this wave, we must remain hopeful that, in the shadow of the umbrellas, fair weather will emerge.