The Hottest, The Coolest and The Funniest – Summer International Film Festival is Back!

20 July 2012 (Hong Kong) ― Presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), the 7 th Summer International Film Festival (SIFF) will open with the international premiere of , the latest feature from Best Director winner at the 2008 Taipei Film Festival, YANG Ya-Che ( ).

The Opening Ceremony and Premiere will be held on 14 August 2012 at The Grand Cinema in the presence of the film’s director YANG Ya-che and stellar cast, including entrancing actress GWEI Lun-Mei ( ), pop heartthrob Joseph CHANG ( ), and rising actor Rhydian VAUGHAN ( ). Director and stars will meet the audience at the screening.

The festival is also celebrating the surging creativity of Hong Kong directors with SIFF Programme Presentation 2012, skedded for 29 July 2012 at Olympian City. The event will focus on Heiward MAK’s third feature,

, starring the eponymous “diva” Joey YUNG, veteran thesp Chapman TO, up-and-coming singer Mag LAM, China’s well-known actor WU Ge, and new star Carlos CHAN. Heiward MAK, Mag LAM and Carlos CHAN will attend the event.

Other highlights include: the local premiere of the highly anticipated, latest installment of the Hong Kong animated McDull series,

by Brian TSE; Cannes Film Festival buzzes

by Alain RESNAIS and

by HONG Sang-soo; Japan’s trendsetters from NINAGAWA Mika’s

through TAKEUCHI Hideki’s time-travel comedy

to MIIKE Takashi’s ; and the long-awaited by NING Hao. Summer retrospectives will feature Shochiku master KINOSHITA Keisuke and French New Wave pioneer Eric ROHMER. A special section “Legends” will include biopics on the legendary late ex-Beatle George Harrison, and “Empress of Fashion” Diana Vreeland. The festival will close with Wes ANDERSON’s

which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was lauded by Variety as a “universally appealing tale.”

“The eclectic programme this year is as refreshing as the summer can be,” commented Roger GARCIA, Executive Director of the HKIFFS. “Our Society has always been devoted to promoting world cinema and its delights. The SIFF is precisely one of those occasions when we introduce audiences, especially local youth, to the fun of movies.”

The 7 th SIFF will run from 14 to 28 August 2012, screening 27 films from 9 countries and regions. The full programme can be viewed atwww.hkiff.org.hk. Tickets will be available atwww.urbtix.hkonline and URBTIX outlets from 23 July 2012.