Happy day for Hong Kong cinemas could have been a showcase of local films
- The offer of HK$30 movie tickets will boost the cinema business, but the campaign should have done more for the local film industry
- Not only are classic Hong Kong films far from forgotten, recent releases depicting local issues show that the industry is worthy of support
This campaign, which in addition to discounted cinema tickets includes food fairs and a music carnival, comes at a cost of HK$20 million to the government’s coffers, and while it is expected that it will give the cinema business a boost, it leaves a lot to be desired for the local film industry.
Some of the criticism has been aimed at the larger budget films which, due to the economic reality, simply cannot cater to Hong Kong’s limited local market of around 7 million and seek to attract a much broader Asian market. These films may employ non-local supporting actors and actresses, with the dialogue being dubbed into Cantonese, and sometimes use Hong Kong simply as a backdrop for an otherwise vanilla plot.
In the face of stiff competition from foreign filmmakers and online streaming services, Hong Kong’s film industry needs support to flourish once again. Efforts from the local film industry, such as the aforementioned films, demonstrate that support is well deserved.
Whether you enjoy them or not, these films form and will continue to form an important part of the cultural fabric of Hong Kong. We should seek to embrace new audiences who enjoy our movies – from the classics to modern-day offerings.
While by no means are all local films worth a viewing, Hongkongers should, in general, support locally produced media. It doesn’t appear that Hollywood or anywhere else will produce Cantonese-oriented films any time soon. For Cantonese to remain resilient locally, film and other media in the dialect need support.
Coming back to the government’s campaign, this could have been a day when all cinemas would feature Hong Kong films – old and new. Wouldn’t it be happier for Hong Kong if this one day was a celebration not only for our cinemas, but of Hong Kong films as well?
Franklin Koo is an accredited mediator, lawyer and author of “Power to the People: Extending the Jury to the Hong Kong District Court”