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ARTS evelyn.lok@hkmagmedia.com
Edited by Evelyn Lok
Sundance Film Festival Preview
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The Sundance Film Festival brings
eight awesome films to Hong Kong
in its mini-fest at The Metroplex.
By Zach Hines and Evelyn Lok
A long way from the snowy hills of Utah, the
Sundance Film Festival is debuting for the first
time in Asia, here in Hong Kong.
America’s biggest film festival hardly needs
an introduction for film buffs, but its strategy is
to offer a cautious but curated introduction to
Hong Kong’s cinephiles.
In the film scene, Sundance is a force to be
reckoned with, having spawned a film institute,
workshops, scholarships, and a television
channel. But it has so far been slow in expanding
abroad. Aside from a smaller festival in London, it
has no other programs. Hong Kong was selected
as the first stop for a small mini-version of the
festival as a test. John Cooper, the director of
Sundance Film Festival, notes that Hong Kong’s
rich cinematic history will connect Sundance
to a wider audience. “For a long time we’ve felt
like the quality of work we show has the ability
to travel overseas, but doesn’t always have the
chance to do so,” says Cooper. “In response
to that, we created this event to connect our
filmmakers to both younger audiences and
audiences outside the US.”
Sundance particularly focuses on indie
films, to highlight new and original talent. To be
an indie filmmaker and get into Sundance is to
have “made it”—It’s how legendary directors
Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh were
discovered.
“We created this event to
connect our filmmakers to
both younger audiences and
audiences outside the US.”
— John Cooper, director, Sundance Film Festival
This is one of the reasons why Hong Kong
is such an exciting destination for the festival.
“We also see this event as an opportunity to
learn more about filmmaking in Hong Kong
and how we might be able to support and
incorporate that more in our programs,” says
Cooper. It’s also a way of introducing a wider
variety of indie cinema to Hong Kong audiences:
eight films have been taken directly from the
2014 Sundance Film Festival to represent
the spectrum of films on show. “Apart from
cinephiles, many haven’t heard of Sundance in
this part of the world. So it’s kind of an education
process, saying that there are other film fests
too besides Cannes or Venice,” says Bede
Cheng, The Metroplex’s festival director and
senior program manager. Aside from the eight
highlighted film offerings, there’s also a lineup
of free performances by local independent
musicians from the likes of The Stay Up, Helter
Skelter, and Noughts and Exes.
Hong Kong’s film scene, rife with young indie
talent looking for bigger audiences now that the
mainstream has pointed to the mainland, could
transform the festival into a permanent feature
on the film calendar. Here are our picks:
“Infinitely Polar Bear” The film fest opener
(Sep 19, 27) stars Mark Ruffalo as a father
suffering from bipolar disorder, foisted on a
journey of self-discovery after his wife leaves
to pursue an MBA. Director Maya Forbes will
join a post-screening talk on Sep 19.
“Life After Beth” A teen zombie smash
featuring Audrey Plaza as Dane DeHaan’s
undead girlfriend (Sep 20, 28).
“God Help the Girl” Written and directed by
Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, this film
is about a trio of lost musical souls in Glasgow
(Sep 21, 28).
Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong Selects runs
Sep 19-28 at the Metroplex, G/F, E-Max, KITEC, 1
Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, 2620-2200. See the
full film lineup and buy tickets at hk.sundance.org.
Stage
Comedy
Punchline Comedy Presents:
Jonny Awsum, John Lenahan, Tim Clark
The Punchline Comedy Club’s September gig
features an eclectic bunch: guitar-toting Jonny
Awsum, who will have you singing along with
his banterous tunes, followed by magician John
Lenahan, and UK TV presenter and stand-up
comedian Tim Clark. See them on opening night
at Grappa’s Cellar, and at Tamarind thereafter.
Sep 18, 8pm; Sep 19-20, 9pm. Grappa’s Cellar,
B/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central,
2521-2322. $270-320 from www.cityline.com.
8th Hong Kong International
Comedy Festival
This is going to be one funny month, as the
annual International Comedy Festival returns
to Hong Kong for its eighth year. It brings with
it a packed program of international pros, local
favorites, as well as three nights of preliminary
rounds of the HK International English Comedy
Competition (Sep 25-27). It all culminates in the
finals held at KITEC, where you’ll see the best
of this year’s comedy gold. South Africa’s top
comedian Barry Hilton (Sep 4-7) kicks off the
month, followed by shows by other big names
each weekend. Head to the website for more
details. Through Oct 5. TakeOut Comedy, B/F,
34 Elgin St., Central, 6220-4436. $150-250 from
www.takeoutcomedy.com; Finals tickets from
www.hkticketing.com.
Dance
SIRO-A Spectacle Projection
Mapping Show
The LCSD continues to offer multimedia physical
theater and dance programs through their
“Boundless Multimedia” series. Japanese group
SIRO-A comes to Hong Kong for a performance
of dance, comedy, mime and shadow puppetry,
all interacting with light-mapped optical
illusions, laser effects and pumping electro
beats. Probably stay away if you don’t like
flashing lights or fun. Sep 12-13, 8pm; 13-14,
3pm. Sheung Wan Civic Centre, 345 Queen’s Rd.
Central, Sheung Wan. $200-260 from
www.urbtix.hk.
Left Hander
The LCSD’s “New Force in Motion” series aims
to foster up and coming talents in contemporary
dance. Choreographer Blue Ka-wing’s debut fulllength
production “Left Hander” is a meditation
on the freedom, creative energy and unusual
hangups which emerge after moving out of the
family nest at age 26. Including, for instance,
the fact that it’s much harder to use a can
opener left handed. Maybe we’ll also see pliés
depicting hunger pangs at the end of the month.
Sep 12-13, 8pm; 13-14, 3pm. Kwai Tsing Theatre,
12 Hing Ning Rd., Kwai Fong. $160 from www.
urbtix.hk.
Angels Over Broadway
Aerial Arts Academy celebrates its fifth
anniversary by throwing one big show full
of sexy acrobatic feats, as well as a musical
performance from singer Marsha Yuan. The
AAA’s very own “Aerial Angels,” plus China/HK
Pole Dance Champ Tessa Yung and instructor
Ea Holm will be twirling, as well as performing
a little cabaret and burlesque too. Sep 12-13,
8:30pm. House of Siren, (Entrance on Castle
Steps), 64 Robinson Rd., Mid-Levels. $320-360
from www.aerialartsacademy.com.
Musical
Golden Lotus
This Canadian-produced musical has been
13 years in the works, and it’s finally reaching
fruition at the world premiere in Hong Kong.
The story is based on the classic Chinese tale
“Jin Ping Mei,” which is in turn derived from
the classic novel “Water Margin.” It’s all about
the ethereally beautiful Golden Lotus, who gets
wrapped up in a game of blood, lust, and love
between three men. The original novel was long
seen as something of a pornographic classic
thanks to its graphic depictions of sexuality.
How is that going to translate to the stage Sep
12-13, 8pm; 13-14, 3pm. Youth Square Y-Studio,
2/F, 238 Chai Wan Rd., 3721-8888,
www.goldenlotusthemusical.com.
$280-350 from www.urbtix.hk.
Classical
Retro Groovers at the Fringe
The Retro Groovers are back on the Fringe
Club stage after a sell-out performance in early
August. Their CV is quite a mouthful: they’re a
10-piece jazz funk fusion, R&B, Latin, 80s, disco
and dance band. So let’s just assume they can
play anything and everything with a vintage kind
of sound. Check them out at the Fringe Dairy.
Sep 6, 9:30pm. Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd.,
Central, 2525-1032. $100 in advance, $120 on
the day, both include a drink.
The Music of
Eternity
This September
marks Hong
Kong’s annual
Counterpoint
Music Festival,
featuring a
concert by
acclaimed British
countertenor Iestyn Davies. He’ll be singing
solo in a program of choral works including
Pergolesi’s hymn to Mary, “Stabat Mater,” and
Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, accompanied
by local chamber choir Die Konzertisten.
Sep 14, 3pm. HKU Grand Hall, LG/F, Lee
Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus,
The University of Hong Kong, Bonham Road,
Pok Fu Lam. $120-350 from www.cityline.com.
Picturesque Music: A Song Dynasty
Painting Reinvented
Join the Zhejiang Chinese Orchestra and the
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in this joint
performance which marks the beginning of
HKCO’s new concert season. The group will be
illustrating the idyllic scenes of Song Dynasty
paintings with an audio-visual show, in which
you’ll be able to admire 14th century painting
“Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” while
listening to a program of modern Chinese
compositions, such as Hong Kong composer
Law Wing-fai’s “Flying Brush,” which is an ode to
Chinese calligraphy. Sep 19, 8pm. Concert Hall,
Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui.
$100-380 from www.urbtix.hk.
Theater
ESU Play-Reading: Lady Precious Stream
Shih-I Hsiung’s 1935 play “Lady Precious Stream”
was the first West End play ever written by a
Chinese person. It’s a Chinese-style play written
in English, about a faithful wife who waits for
her adventurer husband. It grew so popular
that it was eventually adapted for film (1938)
and television (1950). The English Speaking
Union will be holding a play-reading session at
Colette’s, upstairs at the Fringe Club, and people
are encouraged to take part. The playwright’s
grand-daughter Joanna will also be attending
the event. Sep 15, 7:15pm. Fringe Club, 2 Lower
Albert Rd., Central, 2525-1032. Free. Email
esuhk@netvigator.com to enrol.
Venus in Fur Re-run
Due to popular demand,
Sweet and Sour
Productions is back with
another run of “Venus
in Fur,” David Ives’s
sexy, award-winning
2011 play. Missed last
December’s run It tells
the story of Thomas, a
writer holding auditions
for his new play. Sexy, confident and crass,
actress Vanda struts into the audition hall toting
a bag of S&M props, and draws Thomas in as
they explore the power play between the sexes.
You don’t want to miss this one. Sep 5-6, 8pm;
Sep 6, 3pm. Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd.,
Central, 2525-1032. $190-240 from
www.hkticketing.com.
HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, September 5, 2014 29