MAKING WAVES MONTREAL RETURNS FOR A SECOND EDITION
FROM OCTOBER 24 TO 26 AT CINÉMA CINEPLEX FORUM ET VIP
FULL LINEUP REVEAL
Montréal, Monday September 23rd - After a highly successful first edition, MAKING WAVES MONTREAL is back for a second edition. From October 24 to 26, the best of Hong Kong’s new cinema will be presented at the Cinéma Cineplex Forum et VIP. Numerous artists will be in town to showcase their films for the occasion.
“MAKING WAVES is returning to Montreal with a specially curated program that speaks to the complexity of Hong Kong experiences,” said Sophia Wong Boccio, executive producer. “Additionally, joining us in Montreal are award-winning Gordon Lam (best known for his performances in Infernal Affairs and Hand Rolled Cigarette), who will open the festival with the outrageously funny and gripping heist thriller Rob N Roll, and veteran (Drunken Master II, Port of Call, The Goldfinger), who stars in the powerful call to action social commentary All Shall Be Well which won an award at the Berlin Film Festival, and plays a mysterious stranger in the compact neo-noir For Alice. Last but not least, are the Best New Performer winner Yoyo Tse, showing us the vulnerability of a teenager in Fly Me To The Moon, and newcomer Kuku So with her impressive debut performance in For Alice. Reserve your seats early!”
Kicking off the opening festivities on Thursday, October 24 at 6:45 p.m., with the exhilarating action-comedy Rob N Roll, directed by Albert Mak, follows a formidable thief whose heist is inadvertently foiled by two disillusioned buddies. After the money disappears, the trio must evade the police while engaging in a shootout to recover the stolen money, putting their lives in danger. A local box office hit that also reunited two pivotal actors, namely Aaron Kwok and Richie Ren, from the new Hong Kong kung fu sensation Twilight Of the Warriors: Walled In (FANTASIA 2024). Actor and producer Gordon Lam will be the guest of honor at the screening to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m., a screening of the drama Love Lies by filmmaker Ho Miu-Ki (The Mermaid), about Veronica, a successful obstetrician-gynecologist played by award winning comedy actress Sandra Ng (Golden Chicken, Chilli Laugh Story). With her love life at a standstill, she downloads a dating app for some carefree fun, unaware that the charming French engineer on the other end is actually a local con artist named Joe.
At 9:15 p.m., cinephiles can see Time Still Turns the Pages, a social drama by Nick Cheuk (Paradox), featuring a schoolteacher who relives painful childhood memories after uncovering troubling information about an at-risk student. Winner: Best New Director’s Award at 60th Golden Horse Awards.
Saturday, October 26 at 4:00 p.m., All Shall Be Well, directed and written by award winning Ray Yeung, will be screened. This drama follows an older lesbian couple’s predicaments, after one of them (Pat) passes away, leaving Angie alone at the mercy of Pat’s family while fighting to maintain her dignity and keep the home they shared for more than three decades. Veteran actor TAI BO (Police Story) will be present to introduce the film and take part in a Q&A session with the audience. Winner: Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Film at Frameline.
Fly Me To The Moon by Sasha Chuk follows at 6:15 p.m. The poignant family drama depicts the journey of two sisters who move from Hunan to Hong Kong in the 1990s and face an identity crisis, poverty, and their father;s drug addiction over the span of 20 years. Winner of several prestigious awards from Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Hong Kong Film Critics Society. One of the leading actresses, Yoyo Tse, will be present to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
At 9:00 p.m., festival-goers will have the opportunity to experience the neo-noir drama For Alice, a Canadian premiere for its closing night film, by Chow Kam-Wing about Chan Shuang, a mysterious man who wishes to spend his life in peace after being released from prison until some old friends and his long-lost young daughter. However a diagnosis may make their reunion bittersweet. With his heart filled with immeasurable paternal love, can Chen Shuang make up for years of absence? Lead actor TAI BO will make a second appearance, joined by co-star Kuku So to present the film and participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
MAKING WAVES MONTREAL (MWM) is presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, in collaboration with Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema, sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto. MWM24 highlights a new generation of award-winning, talented, and committed filmmakers with distinct voices.
TICKETING
Admission is Free. RSVP is required to attend the screenings.
More info: asianpopupcinema.org/mwm24
About The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited (HKIFFS)
HKIFFS is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to discovering and promoting creativity in film art and culture. It organizes the annual Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). Another highlight is the Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival (SummerIFF), held every August. In 2021, HKIFFS restructured its film industry services and set up HKIFF Industry to promote and support non-mainstream film industry development through co-production, festival strategies, and overseas distribution (HKIFF Collection).
About Sophia’s Choice/Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC)
Asian Pop-Up Cinema, an annual Asian Film Festival, is the brainchild of Sophia Wong Boccio, founder of Sophia’s Choice, a Chicago-based 501 C (3) not-for-profit incorporated in 2015 with the multi-pronged mission of cultivating an interest in and understanding of Asian cultures via a diverse offering of Asian films; connecting the Asian film industry with local Chicago film professionals, educators, and students; and promoting Chicago as a destination for international visitors.
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)
Under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) (formerly known as Create Hong Kong) is a dedicated office, aiming to spearhead the development of cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong. Its mission is to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong and further promote the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle.
About The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO)
HKETO Toronto is the official representative of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China in Canada. Since the office’s establishment in October 1991, they have been actively fostering closer economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and Canada.
Media contact:
Geneviève Lefebvre | Rugicomm
genevieve.lefebvre@rugicomm.ca | 438-888-1981