Sai Wan Ho Hong Kong Film Archive｜【Muse Fest HK 2024】City Portraits: Hong Kong Film and Literature

Description

Hong Kong literary pioneers such as Mong Wan and Lui Lun forayed into the film industry as early as the 1930s. Between the 50s and 70s, numerous works of literature originating from our city were adapted into motion pictures, with many writers becoming involved in filmmaking. The eclectic nature of literary adaptations continued to shine, albeit occasionally, from the 80s to around the turn of the millennium. This exhibition mainly showcases the development of literary adaptations set in the city of Hong Kong produced from the mid- to late 20th century and examines the characteristics of the works by authors doubling as screenwriters or directors.

The exhibition is divided into four zones, with ‘Footprints’ providing a historical overview. ‘Screening Room: Time Flows Like a Song’ foregrounds features adapted from popular novels and highlights the literary artistry of lyricists through movie songs. Meanwhile, the collected materials of selected works, including manuscripts and scripts, become the stars of the short videos shown in ‘From Words to Images’, illustrating the creative process that sees a novel transform into a screenplay and, in turn, a motion picture. Lastly, ‘Oral History Excerpts: Stories Behind Screenwriters’ presents a collection of interviews with various writer-filmmakers, including gifted screenwriter and lyricist Chen Dieyi, who began working in the industry as early as the 1930s, and Kong Ho-yan, who manifests Hong Kong-style suspense through his online novel.

Themed around Hong Kong cinema and urban literature, this exhibition will be launched in 2024 in conjunction with an online monograph of the same title and the screening programme ‘Dancing Between Words and Images – Hong Kong Film and Literature’.

This exhibition is one of the events of the Muse Fest HK 2024.