Star-studded Hong Kong movie trailers the focus of exhibition exploring their importance
- Trailers used since the 1940s to promote Hong Kong films, using stars including Bruce Lee, get the spotlight in Coming to a Theatre Near You
Film trailers are an effective way to grab an audience’s attention. A well-edited one can translate into more viewers – and that means more money for the film’s makers.
Over the decades, their role in film marketing has evolved: in the 1940s, trailers could run for as long as four minutes, a reflection of slower-paced lives. In today’s hectic, attention-span-diluted world, they average half that time.
To showcase stand-out examples from Hong Kong cinema, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) is hosting “Coming to a Theatre Near You – Gems of Hong Kong Film Trailers”, at the HKFA’s Exhibition Hall in Sai Wan Ho.
The exhibition features more than 100 trailers for films from the 1940s to the present day, all sourced from the HKFA’s collection and complemented by seminars with experienced editors and veterans of film promotion.
“Trailers are an essential component of the film industry as they serve as an advertisement to draw people’s attention and lure them to the cinema,” says Kenxi Lau, HKFA’s assistant curator of programming. “Moreover, by studying film trailers, we can explore and trace the development of Hong Kong film.”
