Cover A still from ‘Annette’ (Image: courtesy of Hong Kong International Film Festival)
A still from ‘Annette’ (Image: courtesy of Hong Kong International Film Festival)
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Our senior arts and culture editor Zabrina Lo selects the best movies to see at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the city’s movie extravaganza that celebrates art and feature films from around the world is back this month. Running from April 10 to 21 in various cinemas, this year’s edition presents more than 200 films, including six world premieres and 52 Asian premieres, along with filmmaker forums and talks.
The 12-day festival commenced yesterday with the world premiere of Japanese director Nakashima Tetsuya’s The Brightest Sun (2025), followed by Malaysian director Chong Keat-aun’s Pavane for an Infant (2024), starring Hong Kong actors Fish Liew, Natalie Hsu and Ben Yuen.
There are many other titles to choose from, so start with these 7 must-see movies.
Don’t miss: In the Mood for Love: An extended cut of Wong Kar-wai’s iconic film debuts in Hong Kong on April 10
1. ‘The Brightest Sun’ (2025)
Above A still from ‘The Brightest Sun’ (Photo: courtesy of HKIFF)
A still from ‘The Brightest Sun’ (Photo: courtesy of HKIFF)
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Diverging from his usual maximalist style, this latest film by Japanese director Nakashima Tetsuya probes into the emotional ripple effect of severe disability and the ethical conundrums that arise from it. The movie presents the story of how, when a private detective is murdered, a trainee detective and the murder victim’s former colleague are sent to investigate the case. The process triggers memories from their own haunted past.
2. ‘Pavane for an Infant’ (2024)
Above A still from ‘Pavane for an Infant’ (Photo: courtesy of HKIFF)
A still from ‘Pavane for an Infant’ (Photo: courtesy of HKIFF)
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Chong Keat-aun’s film, set during Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, centres on Lai Sum, a social worker aiding Siew Man, an underage girl facing a dilemma around abortion. Through Lai Sum’s efforts, the film explores Malaysia’s complex social fabric. Chong’s lens, tinged with magical realism, refracts the nation’s diverse faiths and cultures, highlighting their uneasy coexistence. It dives into the country’s conservative political climate and the patriarchal pressures exerted on women’s autonomy. The film offers a poignant commentary on social issues, using Siew Man’s story to illuminate broader cultural and political tensions.
3. ‘0.5MM’ (2014)
Above Snippets from ‘0.5MM’
Japanese film director and novelist Momoko Ando, driven by sisterly ambition, crafts 0.5 mm, a 197-minute deep dive into Japan’s ageing crisis. Her sister Sakura Ando, magnetic as a savvy caregiver, anchors this sprawling narrative as she survives by hustling elderly men. It’s a searing commentary on the isolation of the elderly and the “hustle culture” of the youth in a precarious economy.
4. ‘Accident’ (2009)
Above Snippets from ‘Accident’
A Soi Cheang thriller produced by Johnnie To, this Hong Kong movie showcases Louis Koo’s intense performance as Brain, the leader of an assassin gang staging “accidental” kills. Brain’s precision breeds paranoia, blurring his reality. Cheang, known for his meticulous psychological drama, crafts a taut narrative, with Koo delivering an enigmatic portrayal.
The film, which competed at the Venice International Film Festival in 2009—the same year it was released—is a cult classic among Hong Kong thrillers for its sharp direction and Koo’s compelling performance.
5. ‘Annette’ (2021)
Often referred to as a “rock opera”, Annette (2021) is a dark musical and French director Leos Carax’s first film in English. Starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard—him as a failing comedian and her a rising opera star—the narrative revolves around what happens when their child Annette, a marionette, is bestowed her mother’s voice. A haunting, operatic tale, it earned Carax the Best Director award when it premiered at Cannes in 2021.
6. ‘Revolving Rounds, Razeh-del, Aeon, Commute and Adrift Potentials’ (2024)
Above A snippet from ‘Revolving Rounds, Razeh-del, Aeon, Commute and Adrift Potentials’
This avant-garde shorts programme brings together five experimental films by Johann Lurf, Christina Jauernik, Maryam Tafakory, Dominic Angerame, Henry Hills and Leonardo Pirondi, directors from various countries who examine overlooked social and cultural issues of their homelands through experimental cinematography. In the 28-minute Razeh-del, for instance, Tafakory revisits 1998-99 Iran, when the shortlived Zan newspaper, the first-ever women’s newspaper in Iran, advocated for women’s rights. The short is a striking record of how two schoolgirls, who are fed up with going to cinemas and not seeing themselves represented onscreen, drafted a synopsis for an impossible film and submitted it to the paper.
7. ‘Bel Ami’ (2024)
Above Geng Jun’s ‘Bel Ami’
Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, shot in stark black-and-white against a frozen industrial town, explores love and connection through offbeat lens. A middle-aged man’s coming-out collides with a lesbian couple’s search for a gay surrogate, leading to comic chaos. Geng’s signature surreal humour and understated fantasy punctuate this atypical romantic comedy, revealing an askew universe where people are just looking for that ephemeral connection amid absurd identity politics.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
