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James Marsh

The Hong Kong International Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its summer cinematic showcase this year, and it includes a mix of favourites from the 2024 festival circuit and lovingly restored classics of world cinema.
What better excuse do you need to escape the torrential rain and suffocating heat and retreat indoors for a couple of hours of unbridled escapism?
Below are the must-see films and programmes from this year’s festival, also known as Summer IFF.
1. Black Dog


Following a string of big-budget propaganda epics, Chinese director Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred) returns to his independent roots for this offbeat noir, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng Yu-yan plays an ex-con who returns to his hometown in the Gobi desert and joins a team tasked with rounding up stray dogs. Surprisingly, he bonds with a notorious rabid mutt, and the unlikely pair of outcasts embark on their own adventure.
2. The Substance


French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat follows up her bloodthirsty festival favourite Revenge with some ghoulish body horror reminiscent of David Cronenberg.
In what’s been heralded as a career-reviving turn, Demi Moore stars as an ageing actress who embarks on an experimental black-market cloning procedure.
This gives birth to a fresh-faced doppelgänger, in the form of rising star Margaret Qualley, who proceeds to take Hollywood by storm in this scathing sci-fi satire about the disposability of women in a patriarchal world.
3. Tales of Taipei


This ambitious anthology brings together 10 of the most dynamic young directors in Asia to paint an eclectic portrait of the Taiwanese capital.
Hong Kong director Norris Wong Yee-lam (The Lyricist Wannabe) features alongside the likes of Remii Huang (Let’s Talk About Chu), veteran actress Angelica Lee Sinje, and Pawo Choyning Dorji, whose 2019 film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was nominated for an Academy Award.
Karena Lam Ka-yan, Stephy Tang Lai-yan, Sammi Cheng Sau-man, Chang Chen and Ethan Juan Ching-tien headline the ensemble cast.
4. The Second Act


The increasingly prolific and perennially eccentric Quentin Dupieux presents another bizarre, metatextual comedy featuring some of the biggest hitters in French cinema.
Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, and Raphaël Quenard play actors who become increasingly frustrated by the uninspired, tiresome romantic comedy that they are filming, and who break character – and the fourth wall – to dissect the material and complain about their privileged plight.
While light on its feet, Dupieux’s frivolous farce gleefully skewers the #MeToo movement, cancel culture, and so much more.
5. The Devil’s Bath


Following the success of Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Lodge (2019), writer-director duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala return with an eerily atmospheric folk horror film set in the rural wilderness of 18th century Austria.
A young woman moves to a remote woodland location after marrying her sweetheart, but this idyllic setting quickly becomes a physically and emotionally suffocating prison for the new bride, as ancient pagan rituals and rigid Christian dogma become terrifyingly intertwined, driving our young heroine to despair.
6. Desert of Namibia


Japanese actress Yuumi Kawai (Plan 75) gives a powerhouse performance as a disaffected Gen Z navigating city life and love in all its untarnished glory. As Kana, she must not only tolerate her uninspiring job at a beauty salon, but also a relationship that fails to spark joy.
When she embarks on a new romantic pursuit, the fullness of her bipolar condition is brought to bear, and mirrored in director Yoko Yamanaka’s vivid and dynamic style. The film was the winner of the Fipresci prize at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight this year.
7. Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is responsible for some of the most celebrated and beloved animated films ever made, from My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away.
In 2013, following the release of The Wind Rises, Miyazaki announced his retirement – not for the first time. However, a decade later he would release The Boy and the Heron.
So what inspired the veteran filmmaker back to work? Kaku Arakawa’s fascinating documentary dives deep into the process and personality of this enigmatic figure.
8. Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger


One of the greatest cinematic partnerships of all time was that between Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Known collectively as The Archers, they directed some of the most accomplished British films ever made.
Presented by Martin Scorsese, a lifelong devotee and close friend of Powell’s in his later years, this entrancing documentary charts their creation of numerous masterpieces, from The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp to The Red Shoes.
The duo’s daring and experimental works, brimming with romance and wonder, will also be the subject of a special Cine Fan programme later this year.
9. The Films of Shinji Somai

One of the most influential filmmakers of his generation, Shinji Somai is the subject of an eight-film retrospective that promises to be both revelatory and invigorating, as a new generation of cinema-goers discovers his idiosyncratic tales of youth and rebellion.
Whether diving head first into the yakuza genre with Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, a pop-culture phenomenon, or conjuring a sultry, dreamlike rite of passage for the students in the seminal Typhoon Club, Somai’s work is unforgettable.
In the words of Oscar-winning filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi: “I can say with absolute conviction that no Japanese filmmaker makes a film without being conscious of Somai Shinji’s existence.”
10. King Kong x Godzilla

The two greatest titans of world cinema are unleashed once again, not head to head in a computer-generated melee of weightless pixels but rather in their triumphant inaugural cinematic appearances.
Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s seminal stop-motion classic brings the eighth wonder of the world to life in astonishing fashion, forever shaping Hollywood as a dream factory where spectacle reigns supreme.
Similarly, Ishiro Honda’s 1954 kaiju masterwork, conceived in direct response to King Kong, retains every ounce of its profound power 70 years after its devastating debut.

What self-respecting fan of blockbuster entertainment would dare miss this opportunity to marvel at these masterpieces once more, on the biggest screens in the city?
11. One from the Heart: Reprise


As Hong Kong audiences await a cinematic release for Francis Ford Coppola’s divisive Megalopolis, we can at least bask in this beautifully restored restoration of his controversial, studio-destroying passion project from 1981.
The latest in a string of Coppola’s films to receive a major technical and editorial overhaul, One from the Heart is a full-blown, old-fashioned studio musical complete with lavish studio sets, dazzling visuals, powerhouse performances and a fantastic score from the incomparable Tom Waits.
Fans of La La Land, Annette and the like will revel in the opportunity to give this misunderstood masterpiece a second shot.
Summer IFF runs from August 14 to 26 at various venues. For full programme details, visit cinefan.hkiff.org.hk.
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Asian cinema: Chinese films

11 must-see movies and programmes at Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival 2024

Ethan Juan and Karena Lam in a still from Tales of Taipei.

Ethan Juan and Karena Lam in a still from Tales of Taipei, an anthology shot by 10 rising directors from Asia and one of our must-sees at the Summer International Film Festival 2024 in Hong Kong.

Hayao Miyazaki in a still from Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron. Photo: NHK

Hiroko Yakushimaru in a still from Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981).

A still from King Kong (1933).

A still from Godzilla (1954).

K-pop singer and actress Lee Hye-ri on why her new film role, in Victory, was ‘intense’

Lee Hye-ri at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Chris Kammerud

Lee Hye-ri at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival, where Victory, in which she has the lead role, had its world premiere and the actress won the Asia rising star award. Photo: Raymond Tisch

Lee (front) in a still from Victory. Photo: Mindmark & Annapurna Films

Lee in a still from reality series Agents of Mystery, currently on Netflix. Photo: Boram Park/Netflix

Lee after receiving the rising star Asia award at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Rom Choi

Lee in a still from the 2021 K-drama My Roommate Is a Gumiho.

Lee in a still from the 2022 K-drama May I Help You.

A still from Victory. Photo: Mindmark & Annapurna Films

Lee (second from right), Park Se-wan (right) and Park Beom-su (second from left) at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Chris Kammerud

The Village at 20 finds the bleak, daring M. Night Shyamalan thriller has aged well

Bryce Dallas Howard in a still from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village (2004), which remains one of his very best films. Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Adrien Brody in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Director M. Night Shyamalan (left) and William Hurt on the set of The Village. Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures.

Bryce Dallas Howard in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures

From Jackie Chan stuntman to Hong Kong Film Awards best actor, Tai Bo tells his story

Hong Kong actor Tai Bo at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: NYAFF

Hong Kong actor Tai Bo receives his Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: NYAFF

Tai Bo (left), pictured alongside Ben Yuen, won the best actor prize at the 2020 Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Suk Suk. 

Hong Kong actor Tai Bo at an interview with the Post at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Daniel Eagan

Tao Bo with Taiwanese actress Chao Mei-ling after winning the award for best supporting actor for his work in The Cabbie at the 37th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei in December 2000. Photo: Reuters

Tai Bo in a still from Hand Rolled Cigarette.

Kuku So and Tai Bo in a still from For Alice.

Tai Bo and Patra Au in a still from All Shall Be Well.

In Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story daredevil pair take romance to new heights

Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus in a still from Skywalkers: A Love Story. Photo: Netflix

Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus in Hong  Kong in a still from Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premieres on Netflix on July 19. Photo: Netflix

Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus in a still from Skywalkers: A Love Story. Photo: Sundance Institute

Jeff Zimbalist, director of the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. Photo: Barak Heymann

Angela Nikolau in a still from Skywalkers: A Love Story. Photo: Sundance Institute

Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung on making  tornado film sequel with Glen Powell ‘personal’

Lee Isaac Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

Lee Isaac Chung with Daisy Edgar-Jones on the set of Twisters. The Korean-American director talks about drawing on his experiences with extreme weather in the American Midwest to make the summer blockbuster. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon


Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in a still from Twisters.

Powell and Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

A still from Twisters, for which Chung channelled some of his experiences growing up around extreme weather in the American Midwest.

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The original Godzilla and King Kong films, a Hayao Miyazaki documentary and two 2024 Cannes winners are among the highlights of Summer IFF


The original Godzilla and King Kong films, a documentary presented by fanboy Martin Scorsese about two of Britain’s greatest filmmakers, a portrait of Hayao Miyazaki – Hong Kong film fans are in for some treats.
