50th Hong Kong International Film Festival

50th Hong Kong International Film Festival
HKIFF official poster
Opening filmWe Are All Strangers by Anthony Chen
Closing filmCyclone by Philip Yung
LocationHong Kong Cultural Centre
Founded1977
Hosted by
  • Supported by:
  • The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society
  • Create Hong Kong
Festival dateOpening: April 1, 2026 (2026-04-01)
Closing: April 12, 2026 (2026-04-12)
WebsiteHKIFF 2026

The 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival (Chinese: 第50屆香港國際電影節) will take place from 1 to 12 April 2026. HKIFF selected Jia Zhangke as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and featured masterclasses led by Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin, Tsai Ming-liang, and Ann Hui.

The festival is set to open with the Singaporean drama film We Are All Strangers by Anthony Chen and close with the Hong Kong drama film Cyclone by Philip Yung. This year, 215 films from 71 countries will be screened, including 11 world premieres, four international premieres, and 49 Asian premieres. Angela Yuen, the ambassador of the 49th edition, returned alongside newcomer Tony Wu as the ambassador for this edition of the HKIFF, while Thai actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn and Taiwanese actress Gingle Wang were named Asian Visionary Ambassadors.

Background

The theme of the 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival is "50 and Beyond: Framing the Future".[1][2] The festival's poster is designed by Hong Kong comic artist and lyricist Siu Hak, which combines Hong Kong's landscape and imageries, such as UFOs, rockets, chimneys, and neon lights, representing "the film festival's imagination and exploration of the future".[3] On 9 January 2026, Angela Yuen, the ambassador of the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival, was announced to return as the ambassador, joining newcomer Tony Wu.[1][2] To celebrate its golden jubilee, Thai actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn and Taiwanese actress Gingle Wang were named Asian Visionary Ambassadors, joining Yuen and Wu in promoting film culture during the festival.[4][5] Also to celebrate the 50th anniversary, a live concert featuring soundtracks from Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love (2000), performed by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, was announced to take place on 2 and 3 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.[6][7] "50 and Beyond: The Hong Kong International Film Festival Golden Jubilee Exhibition", a free exhibition of archival materials, photographs, and footage on international cinema, will also be held at Hong Kong City Hall.[8][9] Lee explained that they chose City Hall as the venue because it was the location of the 1st Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1977.[9]

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke was revealed as the Filmmaker in Focus for the festival on 29 January.[10][11] Albert Lee, the executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, explained that Jia's debut film Xiao Shan Going Home (1995) was screened at the 22nd edition and "exposed his talent to an international audience", therefore they selected Jia to return for the festival's golden jubilee.[10][11] A commemorative book on Jia was published in collaboration with Moleskine.[10] In March, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin, Tsai Ming-liang, and Ann Hui were announced as features in the Masterclass section.[12][13] A full lineup was released on 10 March.[14] Other notable guests at the festival included Juliette Binoche, Ildikó Enyedi, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Edwin, and Ben Rivers.[15]

The film festival is set to open on 1 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the Singaporean drama film We Are All Strangers by Anthony Chen and close on 12 April with the Hong Kong drama film Cyclone by Philip Yung.[4][15] A total of 215 films from 71 countries will be screened, featuring 11 world premieres, four international premieres, and 49 Asian premieres.[4][15] It is part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, featuring events such as the Hong Kong Filmart and 44th Hong Kong Film Awards taking place concurrently.[16] However, the Asian Film Awards, which were usually held during the Expo, cancelled the main awards ceremony "to be low-key" due to the Wang Fuk Court fire.[16]

Jury

The jury of the Firebird Awards comprises:[17]

Metawin Opas-iamkajorn and Gingle Wang, the Asian Visionary Ambassadors

Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language)

  • Philip Yung, Hong Kong filmmaker
  • Liang Ming, Chinese filmmaker
  • Edward Lam, Hong Kong theatre director and screenwriter

Young Cinema Competition (World)

Documentary Competition

  • Park Ki-yong, South Korean filmmaker
  • Jessey Tsang, Hong Kong filmmaker
  • Eric Nyari, Japan-based American 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 premieres of both films:[4][15]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Opening film
We Are All Strangers 我們不是陌生人 Anthony Chen Singapore
Closing film
Cyclone 超風 Philip Yung Hong Kong

Gala Presentation

The following films have been selected for screening in the Gala Presentation section, marking the world premieres of We're Nothing At All, The Dating Menu, and Spare Queens:[18]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Queen at Sea N/a Lance Hammer United Kingdom
Nouvelle Vague N/a Richard Linklater France, United States
Silent Friend Stiller Freund Ildikó Enyedi Germany, France, Hungary
We're Nothing At All 我們不是什麼 Herman Yau Hong Kong
The Dating Menu 廚師發辦 Amos Why, Frankie Chung Hong Kong
Spare Queens 大分瓶 Tommy Tom Hong Kong
A Foggy Tale 大濛 Chen Yu-hsun Taiwan
Year One Anno uno Roberto Rossellini Italy

Cinephile Paradise

The following films have been selected for screening in the Cinephile Paradise section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
After the Hunt N/a Luca Guadagnino United States, Italy
The Christophers N/a Steven Soderbergh United Kingdom, United States
Blue Moon N/a Richard Linklater United States, Ireland
Nouvelle Vague N/a France, United States
The Drama N/a Kristoffer Borgli United States
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert N/a Baz Luhrmann United States, Australia
Mothertongue 春树 Zhang Lü China
Gloaming in Luomu 罗目的黄昏
Mirrors No. 3 Miroirs No. 3 Christian Petzold Germany
My Wife Cries Meine Frau weint Angela Schanelec Germany, France
Sirāt N/a Óliver Laxe France, Spain
Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany
The Stranger L'Étranger François Ozon France
The Voice of Hind Rajab صوت هند رجب Kaouther Ben Hania Tunisia, France

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:[8][19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Ah Girl 泡泡糖女孩 Ang Geck Geck Priscilla Singapore
Amoeba 核 Tan Siyou Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea
A Dance with Rainbows 恨女的逆襲 Lee Yi-shan Taiwan
Deep Quiet Room 深度安靜 Shen Ko-shang Taiwan
Linka Linka 一個夜晚與三個夏天 Kangdrun China
Nighttime Sounds 你的眼睛比太阳明亮 Zhang Zhongchen China
Number 23 地下美人 Xia Hao China
Shanghai Daughter 上海女兒 Agnis Shen China

Young Cinema Competition (World)

The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (World) at the Firebird Awards:[8]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
17 N/a Kosara Mitić North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia
Blue Heron N/a Sophy Romvari Canada, Hungary
How to Divorce During the War Skyrybos karo metu Andrius Blaževičius Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland
I Understand Your Displeasure Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut Kilian Armando Friedrich Germany
The Ivy Hiedra Ana Cristina Barragán Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain
Redoubt Värn John Skoog Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland
Rose N/a Markus Schleinzer Austria, Germany
Variations on a Theme Variasies op 'n tema Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar South Africa, The Netherland, Qatar

Documentary Competition

The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Documentary) at the Firebird Awards:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
All My Sisters N/a Massoud Bakhshi Austria, France, Germany, Iran
Elephants & Squirrels N/a Gregor Brändli Switzerland
Good Valley Stories Historias del buen valle José Luis Guerin Spain, France
Goodbye Sisters N/a Alexander Murphy France, Nepal
The Ground Beneath Our Feet Jörðin undir fótum okkar Yrsa Roca Fannberg Iceland, Poland
Memory N/a Vladlena Sandu France, The Netherlands
Past Future Continuous N/a Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani Iran, Norway, Italy
Whispers in the Woods Le chant de forêts Vincent Munier France

Pan-Chinese Cinema

Filmmaker in Focus

Jia Zhangke was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the film festival on 29 January 2025, showcasing eleven of his previous works:[10][11]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
Xiao Shan Going Home 小山回家 Jia Zhangke 1995 China
Xiao Wu 小武 1998
Platform 站台 2000
Unknown Pleasures 任逍遥 2002
The World 世界 2004
Dong 东 2006
Still Life 三峡好人 2006
24 City 二十四城记 2008
Mountains May Depart 山河故人 2015 China, France, Japan
Ash Is Purest White 江湖儿女 2018 China
Caught by the Tides 风流一代 2024
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang 汾陽小子賈樟柯 Walter Salles 2014 Brazil

Chinese-language Restored Classics

Four restored Chinese classics were showcased as part of a sidebar at the film festival:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
Sorrows and Joys of a Middle-Aged Man 哀樂中年 Sang Hu 1949 China
Final Victory 最後勝利 Patrick Tam 1987 Hong Kong
Cageman 籠民 Jacob Cheung 1992
Vive l'amour 愛情萬歲 Tsai Ming-liang 1994 Taiwan

Masters and Auteurs

The Masters

The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Back Home 回家 Tsai Ming-liang Taiwan
Below the Clouds Sotto le nuvole Gianfranco Rosi Italy
The Day She Returns 그녀가 돌아온 날 Hong Sang-soo South Korea
Franz N/a Agnieszka Holland Czech Republic, Germany, Poland
Ghost Elephants N/a Werner Herzog United States
La Grazia N/a Paolo Sorrentino Italy
Magellan Magalhães Lav Diaz Portugal, Spain, France, The Philippines
Two Prosecutors Zwei Staatsanwälte Sergei Loznitsa France, Germany, The Netherlands

Anthony Chen's 'Growing Up' Trilogy

The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, with the Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen attending a seminar after the second screening of We Are All Strangers on 4 April 2026:[20]

English title Original title Director(s) Year Production countrie(s)
Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家 Anthony Chen 2013 Singapore
Wet Season 热带雨 2019 Singapore, Taiwan
We Are All Strangers 我们不是陌生人 2026 Singapore

Mary Stephen: Shades of Silk & Shorts

The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, with the French-based Hong Kong filmmaker Mary Stephen attending a panel discussion with film critic Li Cheuk-to:[21]

English title Original title Director(s) Year Production countrie(s)
Labyrinthe / Labyrinthe (Alternate Version) N/a Mary Stephen 1973 Canada
The Great Canadian Puberty Rite N/a 1974 Canada
A Very Easy Death N/a 1975 Canada
Shades of Silk Ombres de soie 1978 Canada, France
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name 隱蹟之書：重寫自我 2025 France, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Les Auteurs

The following films have been selected for screening in the Les Auteurs section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
The Captive El cautivo Alejandro Amenábar Spain, Italy
Duse N/a Pietro Marcello Italy
The Love That Remains Ástin Sem Eftir Er Hlynur Pálmason Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France
Morte Cucina ครัวสาว Pen-ek Ratanaruang Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, France
Orphan Árva László Nemes Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany, France
Romería N/a Carla Simón Spain, Germany
Salvation Kurtuluş Emin Alper Turkey, France, The Netherlands, Greece
To the Victory! За Перемогу! Valentyn Vasyanovych Ukraine, Lithuania
We Are the Fruits of the Forest Nous Sommes les Fruits de la Forêt Rithy Panh Cambodia, France
Yes! Ken! Nadav Lapid France, Israel, Cyprus, Germany

Global Vision

The following films have been selected for screening in the Global Vision section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
Asia
Divine Comedy کمدی الهی Ali Asgari Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey
Halo 후광 Roh Young-wan South Korea
On Your Lap Pangku Reza Rahadian Indonesia, Saudi Arabia
Shape of Momo Chhora Jastai Tribeny Rai India, South Korea
Spying Stars N/a Vimukthi Jayasundara France, Sri Lanka, India
Woman and Child زن و بچه Saeed Roustayi Iran, France
Europe
Adam's Interest L'intérêt d'Adam Laura Wandel France, Belgium
Good Boy N/a Jan Komasa Poland, United Kingdom
Hen Kota György Pálfi Germany, Greece, Hungary
I Only Rest in the Storm O Riso e a Faca Pedro Pinho Portugal, France, Brazil, Romania
Milk Teeth Dinți de lapte Mihai Mincan Romania, France, Denmark, Greece
Phantoms of July Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen Julian Radlmaier Germany
Pillion N/a Harry Lighton United Kingdom
Rose of Nevada N/a Mark Jenkin United Kingdom
Sundays Los domingos Alauda Ruiz de Azúa Spain, France
Three Goodbyes Tre ciotole Isabel Coixet Italy, Spain
Urchin N/a Harris Dickinson United Kingdom
America
The Chronology of Water N/a Kristen Stewart France, Latvia, United States
The Currents Las corrientes Milagros Mumenthaler Switzerland, Argentina
Everything Else is Noise Lo demás es ruido Nicolás Pereda Mexico, Germany, Canada
On the Road En el camino David Pablos Mexico
A Poet Un poeta Simón Mesa Soto Colombia, Germany, Swede
Africa
Calle Málaga N/a Maryam Touzani Morocco, France, Spain, Germany
My Father's Shadow N/a Akinola Davies Jr. United Kingdom, Nigeria

Fantastic Beats

The following films have been selected for screening in the Fantastic Beats section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)
All Greens 万事快調 Takashi Koyama Japan
En Route To 지우러 가는 길 Yoo Jae-in South Korea
Funky Freaky Freaks 충충충 Han Chang-lok South Korea
Meets the World ミーツ・ザ・ワールド Daigo Matsui Japan
Morte Cucina ครัวสาว Pen-ek Ratanaruang Thailand
Truly Naked N/a Muriel d’Ansembourg Netherlands, Belgium, France

Focus

Juliette Binoche: The Choreographer of Emotion

The following films which starred French actress Juliette Binoche were selected for screening in the Focus section:[19]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
Three Colours: Blue Trois couleurs: Bleu Krzysztof Kieślowski 1993 France, Poland, Switzerland
The English Patient N/a Anthony Minghella 1996 United Kingdom, United States
Certified Copy Copie conforme Abbas Kiarostami 2010 France, Italy
In-I In Motion N/a Juliette Binoche 2025 France

Revisiting Chinese Cinema: The Beginning of a New Journey

Twelve Chinese-language restored film classics were selected for showcase at the festival:[22]

English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s)
The Butterfly Murders 蝶變 Tsui Hark 1979 Hong Kong
The Secret 瘋劫 Ann Hui Hong Kong
The Sword 名劍 Patrick Tam 1980 Hong Kong
In Our Time 光陰的故事 Edward Yang 1982 Taiwan
Ah Ying 半邊人 Allen Fong 1983 Hong Kong
Ah Fei 油麻菜籽 Wan Jen 1984 Taiwan
Yellow Earth 黄土地 Chen Kaige China
The Black Cannon Incident 黑砲事件 Huang Jianxin 1985 China
Dust in the Wind 戀戀風塵 Hou Hsiao-hsien 1986 Taiwan
The Horse Thief 盗马贼 Tian Zhuangzhuang China
Red Sorghum 红高粱 Zhang Yimou 1988 China
Rebels of the Neon God 青少年哪吒 Tsai Ming-liang 1992 Taiwan

References

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