Cover A still from ‘In the Mood for Love’ (2000) (Image: courtesy of Jet Tone Films)
A still from ‘In the Mood for Love’ (2000) (Image: courtesy of Jet Tone Films)
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Wong Kar-wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ will have a special live concert to celebrate the milestone 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society
Wong Kar-wai’s magnum opus, In the Mood for Love, which premiered in 2000, will be given a new life in April this year with screenings accompanied by a live performance from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
The three performances at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on April 2 and 3, 2026, will be part of the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, one of Asia’s oldest film festivals.
In case you missed it: In the Mood for Love: An extended cut of Wong Kar-wai’s iconic film debuts in Hong Kong on April 10
Above A poster of ‘In the Mood for Love—In Concert’ (Image: courtesy of Jet Tone Films)
A poster of ‘In the Mood for Love—In Concert’ (Image: courtesy of Jet Tone Films)
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In addition to its breathtaking visuals, styled by cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-Bing, In the Mood for Love—a story about two neighbours repressing their love for each other—is celebrated for its score. The soundtrack features diverse musical styles, including Umebayashi Shigeru’s waltzes, Michael Galasso’s haunting melodies, Nat King Cole’s Latin rhythms and Rebecca Pan’s Chinese ballads. These soundtracks beautifully capture the melancholy and nostalgia of 1960s Hong Kong, reflecting the two lead characters’ suppressed passions, regrets, loneliness, and sorrows.
The live concert will be conducted by Joshua Tan, the principal conductor of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.
The full lineup of the film festival this year, which runs from April 1 to 12, 2026, will be announced soon.
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.
