Art Month may be over, but the city is just as creative as ever. This month, Hong Kong welcomes the Third Culture Film Festival to its shores.
There’s already a pretty extensive list of film festivals keeping Hong Kong’s popcorn sales high – The Hong Kong International Film Festival, the French Film Festival, the Asia Film Festival… needless to say that the list goes on. Third Culture Film Festival is throwing another one into the mix and claims to be Hong Kong’s first independent film festival.
Still from independent film “And We’ll Eat Flowers”
According to them, Hong Kong lacks “a prolific independent art and film scene”, which seems like contradiction given that walking down Hollywood Road is basically just peering into various independent art exhibitors. But, co-founder Harry Oram, who was raised in Hong Kong, claims that they’ve filled a gap in the market – and who are we to suggest otherwise?
Still from independent film “Disobedience”
There are 18 awards up for grabs at the festival, for everything from the Social Impact Award to the Best Costume and an Audience Award, which isn’t in fact for the best audience, but for the film the audience likes most. Awards will be presented by Third Culture co-founder, Aaron Stadlin Robbie.
The founders have narrowed the films down to a handful of 69 from a total of over 1,800 submissions – all of which were screened by one co-founder Faiyaz Jafri, which we can only imagine required an enormous amount of time (and snacks). Out of those 69 films being shown, 60 will be making their Hong Kong debut – so you’ll definitely be catching something original if you add it to your diary.
Still from independent film “You Are Not Alone” in the animation category
The films have been divided into a variety of categories, from animation to dystopic fairytales, so it seems like there’ll be something for everyone. There’s even a category named “Food, Family, Kids, Parents“, which sounds pretty ideal for film-loving familes. Trailers for all the categories can be viewed on the festival’s official website.
The Film Festival kicks off today at their “dream location”, Loft 22 in California Tower. In an effort to reach out to young independent filmmakers, the three-day event will also provide lectures, activities and some serious opportunities to schmooze your way through the filmmaker circle.
What: Third Culture Film Festival
When: Friday, April 15 to Sunday, April 17
Where: Loft 22, 22/F California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar Street, Central (Google Maps)
Price: HKD150 to HKD360. (Psst! Kids under 12 can watch animated films for free on Saturday and Sunday, FYI.)
Tickets: Here
Coconuts Hong Kong is a media partner of the Third Culture Film Festival.
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