Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival 2023: 10 must-sees, including Past Lives, Back Home with Mirror’s Anson Kong, and Ultraman godfather’s latest

Showing in the Hong Kong Summer IFF 2023, Back Home stars boy band Mirror’s Anson Kong, while romance Past Lives co-stars Greta Lee, who has had rave reviews

Ultraman godfather Kazuya Konaka gets nostalgic in Single 8, Ethan Hawke is a gay cowboy in a Pedro Almodóvar short, and Jean-Luc Godard signs off from cinema

Reading Time:4 minutes

Vivian Sung (left) and Daniel Hong in a still from “Miss Shampoo”, one of the films showing in this year’s Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival.

Published: 11:15am, 9 Aug 2023

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (IFF) returns this summer with an eclectic programme.

Running from August 15-30, it gives the city’s cinephiles the perfect excuse to escape the sweltering heat to sit in air-conditioned cinemas and enjoy a feast of diverse offerings.

Traditionally offering a more accessible and crowd-pleasing selection than the festival’s centrepiece spring event, Summer IFF this year boasts a new Taiwanese crime comedy, a chilling Hong Kong ghost story, an acclaimed cross-cultural romance, and the latest works from some of world cinema’s most celebrated auteurs.

The event also features a tribute to the late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, as well as newly restored master works from Japanese legend Yasujiro Ozu.

There is even a sidebar of immersive VR films, showcasing some of cinema’s newest technological innovations.

With tickets now on sale, below is the Post’s pick of the 10 films and programmes from the festival line-up that are not to be missed.