2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: HK - Sept 21st - Oct 1st

AnD is proud to support the Hong Kong edition of the world famous Sundance Film Festival, hosted again by our friends at the Metroplex Cinemas.  Check out the official announcement and flier below or go to - https://www.facebook.com/SundanceFilmFestivalHK/

The Metroplex and Sundance Institute Proudly Present
2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong
September 21 to October 1, 2017

(Hong Kong - August 17, 2017) The Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong returns for the fourth edition this September with a curated selection of 12 independent films, direct from this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A.

From September 21 to October 1, these 12 highly acclaimed and award-winning titles will premiere in Hong Kong, along with two panel discussions with our visiting filmmakers, making the festival a fruitful and exciting event that any film lover simply cannot miss. Tickets are on sale for The Metroplex VIP Metropolitans, and sales open to the general public on August 21.

12 Independent Films Premiere in Hong Kong
with Filmmakers in Attendance

The 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong will showcase 12 narrative and documentary films from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, in addition to the winners of this year’s Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong Short Film Competition.

As always, the lineup features a diverse genre of film, from comedies set in the medieval past to our social media world present; drama and documentaries that revolve around sexuality, race, social issues, love, loss and identity.  This year’s films are: A Ghost Story, Band Aid, Beach Rats, City of Ghosts, Columbus, Gook, The Hero, Ingrid Goes West, The Little Hours, Patti Cake$, STEP and Wind River.

The festival will open with the critically acclaimed drama A Ghost Story, starring Academy Award winner Casey Affleck and Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara.  Director David Lowery reunited the cast from his previous film, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and created this haunting drama about a recently deceased man (Casey Affleck) who returns to his home and wife (Rooney Mara), and watches passively as everything he knew slowly slips away... A Ghost Story will premiere on September 21 with director David Lowery attending the post-screening Q&A session to meet the audience.

 
Other filmmakers who will attend the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong to participate in post-screening Q&As with audiences include: Zoe Lister-Jones (Band Aid), Brett Haley (The Hero), Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West), Jeff Baena (The Little Hours), and Amanda Lipitz (STEP).

Josephine Lam and Stuart Wang, Directors of The Metroplex, said, “The fourth edition of the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong comes back bolder and richer. The tremendous success of the last three editions has proven that Hong Kong embraces the creativity of independent filmmaking. We remain committed to supporting the strong emerging independent film culture in Hong Kong, including showcasing the local winners of this year’s Short Film Competition. Together with Sundance Institute, we look forward to growing this world-class film festival into a must-attend event for moviephiles in Hong Kong.”

John Cooper, Director of Sundance Film Festival, said, "Our Hong Kong lineup of independent films direct from the Sundance Film Festival continues to connect filmmakers and their unique stories to new audiences on the other side of our world. We are excited to include the winners of our Hong Kong Short Film Competition alongside other feature-length award winners, as well as exciting panels geared towards emerging local filmmakers and our growing ranks of Sundance film fans.”

Short Film Competition & Award-winning Shorts

With the vision of nurturing local filmmakers, The Metroplex and Sundance Institute first introduced the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong Short Film Competition in 2016, to enthusiastic response from local filmmakers. The jury award winner Trumpt Man was a selection for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong and was a selection for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, which director Emily Wong attended to meet international audiences and fellow filmmakers from around the world.  

This year we continue to host the Short Film Competition, with a panel of judges from the Sundance Film Festival (John Cooper, Director of Sundance Film Festival; Trevor Groth, Director of Programming; Kim Yutani, Senior Programmer, Mike Plante, Senior Short Film Programmer) and Hong Kong (Fruit Chan, Hong Kong independent filmmaker; Ka Ming Fung, Hong Kong film critic; Jan Lam, Program Manager of The Metroplex) to select the most outstanding shorts to screen during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong. Winners and the official short film lineup will be announced in the opening ceremony on September 21, 2017.

Panel Discussions with U.S. Directors

The Filmmakers’ Panel Discussion is a section that local audiences and aspiring filmmakers look forward to each year, a rare opportunity to interact with accomplished filmmakers from the U.S. and hear about their journeys in making their film.

This year there will be two panel discussions on topics of interest to almost all aspiring filmmakers – screenwriting and music.

September 23 - The Art of Screenwriting
On September 23, our visiting directors and accomplished screenwriters David Lowery (A Ghost Story), Brett Haley (The Hero), Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West, 2017 Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award), and Jeff Baena (The Little Hours), will share their personal inspiration and unique stories as both writers and directors. Panel moderated by Kim Yutani (Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival).

September 24 - Using Music to Tell Stories
On September 24, filmmakers Zoe Lister-Jones (Band Aid) and Amanda Lipitz (STEP) will discuss the joys and challenges of music as an indispensable element in a film. Panel moderated by Trevor Groth (Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival).

Admission fee for each panel is HKD30 per person (with complimentary popcorn). Interested parties can purchase tickets online via hk.sundance.org.

2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong priority booking for The Metroplex VIP Metropolitans is available now, and opens to the general public on August 21. Tickets can be purchased at The Metroplex Box Office, The Metroplex Internet Ticketing ( www.metroplex.com.hk) and The Metroplex iPhone and Android Apps Ticketing (HKD8 handling fee will be charged for each ticket purchased online or via Apps).

Film ticket price: Adult - HKD90; Student/Child/Senior - HKD80. Become a VIP Metropolitan to enjoy 20% discount on single tickets and 30% discount on special package (includes 1 ticket for each of the 12 feature films).

The 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong is co-organized by The Metroplex and Sundance Institute; with the support of the following parties –
Supporting Sponsor:     Utah Office of Tourism and Film
Official Car Provider:     Volkswagen
Official Hotel:     East Hong Kong
Panel Discussion Presenting Sponsor: 1563
Official VR Provider:     Market Trend
Official Providers:     Fiji Water;
    Samuel Adams
Official Post Provider:     Standard Digital
Media Partners:     Hong Kong Movie;
    Timable;
    alivenotdead.com
Friends of Festival:        Dolby;
        Barco;
        Hong Kong Film Development Council;
        Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd; and
        U.S. Consulate General for Hong Kong and Macau