The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival () took place from 30 March to 10 April 2023, both online and in-person in Hong Kong. Soi Cheang was selected as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and masterclasses led by Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng were featured.
The festival opened with the Hong Kong mystery thriller Mad Fate by Soi Cheang and the documentary Elegies by Ann Hui, and it closed with the Hong Kong drama Vital Signs by Cheuk Wan-chi. This year, 197 films from 64 countries were screened, including nine world premieres, six international premieres, and sixty-seven Asian premieres. Aaron Kwok returned as the ambassador of HKIFF, marking his fifth year in this role.
Background The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival was the first edition to return to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme of this edition is "Never Stops". The festival poster was designed by Frank Chan, who also created the posters for the previous two editions. It features little egrets, making it the third edition to use a Hong Kong bird in the design (following the barn swallow in the 45th and the tree sparrow in the 46th), which symbolizes a pursuit of beauty and nature, as well as a sign of fortune. On 1 February 2023, Aaron Kwok was announced to return as the ambassador of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, marking his fifth year in this role. Kwok described 2022 as "a year of harvest", with many Hong Kong films achieving both box office success and critical acclaim, and expressed a hope that the film industry could help society emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year was Kwok's final term as ambassador, with his title being succeeded by Karena Lam in the next edition.
Soi Cheang was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the festival on 3 February. Albert Lee, the executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, explained that Cheang was chosen for his notably somber yet unmistakably personal visual style, which rarely deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions while exploring new boundaries in Hong Kong genre filmmaking. Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang and his frequent collaborator Lee Kang-sheng were also announced as features in the Masterclass section and would be attending the festival in person. A press conference held on 10 March revealed the full lineup and the titles of the competitive sections.
The film festival opened on 30 March 2023 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with Soi Cheang's mystery thriller Mad Fate and Ann Hui's documentary Elegies. The festival was held both physically and online, with physical screenings priced at around $55 to $100 HKD, while online screenings were set at $50 HKD. A total of 197 films from 64 countries were screened, including nine world premieres, six international premieres, and sixty-seven Asian premieres. The film festival was part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, which featured events such as the 16th Asian Film Awards and the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards taking place concurrently.
The Japanese drama Stonewalling by Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language), while the Mexican-Danish-French drama Tótem by Lila Avilés won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (World). The Danish-Polish documentary Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Glob received the Firebird Award for Documentary Competition. The FIPRESCI Prize was also awarded to Stonewalling, while the Taiwanese film Bad Education by Kai Ko received a Special Mention. The festival closed with the Hong Kong medical drama Vital Signs by Cheuk Wan-chi on 10 April.
Jury The jury of the Firebird Awards comprises: Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) Hsu Hsiao-ming, Taiwanese filmmaker Zhang Lü, Chinese filmmaker Mary Stephen, a French-based Hong Kong film editor
Young Cinema Competition (World) Ann Hui, Hong Kong filmmaker Emmanuel Burdeau, French film critic Clarence Tsui, Hong Kong film critic
Documentary Competition Malcolm Clarke, Chinese-based English filmmaker Uli Gaulke, German documentary filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong, Chinese filmmaker
Program sections Opening and closing films The following films were chosen as the opening and closing features of the film festival, marking the Asian premiere of Mad Fate and world premieres of Elegies and Vital Signs:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)Opening film Mad Fate 命案 Soi CheangHong Kong Elegies 詩 Ann HuiClosing film Vital Signs 送院途中 Cheuk Wan-chi Hong Kong
Gala Presentation The following films have been selected for screening in the Gala Presentation section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Afire Roter Himmel Christian Petzold Germany Aftersun Charlotte Wells United Kingdom, United States All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Laura Poitras United States
Cinephile Paradise The following films have been selected for screening in the Cinephile Paradise section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Beasts As bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen Spain, France Corsage Marie Kreutzer Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France The Eight Mountains Le otto montagne Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch Italy, Belgium, France Plan 75 Chie Hayakawa Japan, France, Philippines Saint Omer Alice Diop France Stars at Noon Claire Denis France Subtraction تفریق Mani Haghighi Iran World War III جنگ جهانی سوم Houman Seyyedi Iran
Firebird Awards Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) at the Firebird Awards. Stonewalling emerged as the winner, with Huang Xiaoxiong also named Best Actress for her performance in the film. Hong Heng-fai was named Best Director for Kissing the Ground You Walked On, and Li Xuejian received the Best Actor award for To Love Again. Bad Education was given a Special Mention.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Absence 雪雲 Wu Lang China Bad Education 黑的教育 Kai Ko Taiwan Coo-Coo 043 一家子兒咕咕叫 Chan Ching-lin Taiwan Kissing the Ground You Walked On 海鷗來過的房間 Hong Heng-fai Macau Night Falls 夜幕將至 Jian Haodong China Stonewalling 石門 Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka Japan To Love Again 再團圓 Gao Linyang China Tomorrow Is a Long Time 明天比昨天長久 Jow Zhi Wei Singapore, Taiwan, France, Portugal
Young Cinema Competition (World) The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (World) at the Firebird Awards. Tótem emerged as the winner, with Martín Benchimol awarded Best Director for his debut The Castle. Mirko Giannini was named Best Actor for his role in Astrakan, while the ensemble female cast received the Best Actress award for 20,000 Species of Bees.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 20,000 Species of Bees 20.000 especies de abejas Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Spain Animalia Sofia Alaoui France, Morocco, Qatar Astrakan David Depesseville France Autobiography Makbul Mubarak Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland The Cage Is Looking for a Bird Kletka ishet ptitsu Malika Musaeva France, Russia The Castle El castillo Martín Benchimol Argentina, France Disco Boy Giacomo Abbruzzese France, Italy, Belgium, Poland Tótem ماء العين Lila Avilés Mexico, Denmark, France
Documentary Competition The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Documentary) at the Firebird Awards. Apolonia, Apolonia emerged as the winner, while The Hamlet Syndrome received the jury prize.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Apolonia, Apolonia Lea Glob Denmark, Poland The Echo El eco Tatiana Huezo Mexico, Germany Fledglings Pisklaki Lidia Duda Poland The Hamlet Syndrome Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosołowski Poland, Germany A Holy Family 神人之家 Elvis Lu Taiwan Paradise Paradis Alexander Abaturov France, Switzerland Smoke Sauna Sisterhood Savvusanna sõsarad Anna Hints Estonia, France, Iceland A Still Small Voice Luke Lorentzen United States
Pan-Chinese Cinema Filmmaker in Focus Soi Cheang was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the film festival on 3 February 2023, showcasing twelve of his previous works:
English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s) Our Last Day 第100日Soi Cheang 1999Hong Kong Diamond Hill 發光石頭 2000 Horror Hotline... Big Head Monster 恐怖熱線之大頭怪嬰 2001 New Blood 熱血青年 2002 Love Battlefield 愛·作戰 2004 Home Sweet Home 怪物 2005 Dog Bite Dog 狗咬狗 2006 Shamo 軍雞 2007 Accident 意外 2009 Motorway 車手 2012 SPL II: A Time for Consequences 殺破狼2 2015 Limbo 智齒 2021
Chinese-language Restored Classics Four restored Chinese classics were showcased as part of a sidebar at the film festival:
English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s) Nomad (Director's cut) 烈火青春 Patrick Tam 1982 Hong Kong A City of Sadness 悲情城市 Hou Hsiao-hsien 1989Taiwan Dust of Angels 少年吔，安啦！ Hsu Hsiao-ming 1992 A Confucian Confusion 獨立時代 Edward Yang 1994
Masters and Auteurs The Masters The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, including two works by Tsai Ming-Liang, who attended the festival in person to host a masterclass:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) A Couple Un couple Frederick Wiseman France, United States Fairytale Сказка Alexander Sokurov Russia, Belgium The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft Werner Herzog France, United Kingdom, Switzerland Theater of Thought United States Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert Margarethe von Trotta Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria In Water 물안에서 Hong Sang-soo South Korea R.M.N. Cristian Mungiu Romania, France, Belgium Sparta Ulrich Seidl Austria, France, Germany Where 何處Tsai Ming-liangTaiwan Where do you stand, Tsai Ming-Liang? 身在何處
Les Auteurs The following films have been selected for screening in the Les Auteurs section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Assault Shturm Adilkhan Yerzhanov Kazakhstan, Russia Drift Anthony Chen France, Greece, United Kingdom Eastern Front Shidniy front Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko Latvia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, United States Flotsam and Jetsam 夏日天空的那匹紅馬 Chang Tso-chi Taiwan Here Bas Devos Belgium The Hotel Wang Xiaoshuai China, Thailand The Natural History of Destruction Sergei Loznitsa Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands Music Angela Schanelec Germany, France, Serbia Our Body Notre Corps Claire Simon France The Shadowless Tower 白塔之光 Zhang Lü China Tchaikovsky's Wife Жена Чайковского Kirill Serebrennikov Russia, France, Switzerland
Global Vision The following films have been selected for screening in the Global Vision section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Blue Caftan أزرق القفطان Maryam Touzani France, Morocco, Belgium, Denmark Burning Days Kurak Günler Emin Alper Turkey, France The Dam Le barrage Ali Cherri France, Sudan, Lebano, Germany, Serbia Domingo and the Mist Domingo y la niebla Ariel Escalante Meza Costa Rica Falcon Lake Charlotte Le Bon Canada, France The Happiest Man in the World NajsreЌniot čovek na svetot Teona Strugar Mitevska North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark I Have Electric Dreams Tengo sueños eléctricos Valentina Maurel Costa Rica, Belgium, France Life Жизнь Emir Baigazin Kazakhstan Metronom Alexandru Belc Romania, France The Mountain La montagne Thomas Salvador France Mountain Woman 山女 Takeshi Fukunaga Japan Seventeeners Hadinelentu Prithvi Konanur India Trenque Lauquen Laura Citarella Argentina, Germany Victim Oběť Michal Blaško Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany War Pony Riley Keough, Gina Gammell United States White Paradise Les Survivants Guillaume RenussonFrance The Worst Ones Les Pires Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret
Nordic Lights A new special section titled "Nordic Lights" was introduced in this edition of the festival, showcasing works from Nordic cinema: