A Brief History of Hong Kong Cinema with Sam Ho

Join Hong Kong-based curator, researcher, teacher, writer and critic Sam Ho as he explores the history of Hong Kong cinema, outlining the historical, cultural and economic factors that coalesced into an exceptional aesthetics enjoyed and celebrated all over the world. Hong Kong has a unique cinematic history. A tiny city and never a sovereign state, it managed to fashion a film industry comparable to any national cinema, with a long and rich history and a distinctive aesthetics all its own. At once very Chinese and very westernized, Hong Kong’s highly eventful and sometimes traumatic past converges on film to generate a glorious cinema, inspiring films of intensely dramatic stories and grippingly compelling characters. Sam Ho is a curator, researcher, teacher, writer and critic. Based in Hong Kong and the United States, Ho specializes in the study of Hong Kong cinema but had also written extensively and curated programs on various aspects of cinema, including films from China, the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia. His writing had appeared in books, academic journals, newspapers, magazines and on the internet. His work had been translated into many different languages, including Chinese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. Ho has given many lectures on films across the globe, and has served as juror, media panelist or advisor for many international film festivals and award organizations, including the Pacific Meridian International Film Festival in Vladivostok, Russia; the Asian Film Festival in Vesoul, France; the Hong Kong International Film Festival; the Hong Kong Film Awards; the Best Chinese Films of the Year Award, Beijing, China; and the China Times Express Bests Films of the Year Awards, Taiwan.