The M+ Museum of Visual Culture in Hong Kong recently announced that M+ Cinema will launch autumn programs from October to December 2024. Among them, the director's special exhibition "Tsui Hark: The Pioneer of Unconstrained Vision" will screen twelve highly praised works of the

Tsui Hark's "Swordsman", 1990. Photo provided by Star Chinese Media Film Co., Ltd.

Menadi Suyodam, "Exergie - Butter Dance," 2000. Image courtesy of the artist.

Peter Rosen, "First Person Singular: Ieoh Ming Pei", 1997. Image provided by the director.

"Last Summer" by Catherine Breya, 2023. Photos courtesy of pyramide films

Park Cheol-soo's "301 302", 1995. Photos provided by the director's family.

Hong Kong’s m+ Museum of Visual Culture recently announced that m+ Cinema will launch autumn programs from October to December 2024. Among them, the director's special exhibition "Tsu Hark: The Pioneer of Unconstrained Vision" will screen twelve acclaimed works of the famous Hong Kong film director Tsui Hark, and "Tsu Hark's Lecture on Butterfly Transformation - A Conversation with Sylvia Chang" will be held. .

In addition, new autumn programs include "Avant-garde! Self-acting in the Mirror", a one-day event that explores the cross-generational and cross-cultural video performance art of Asian artists. "Stairs at Night" launches a new series "Mistakes and Mistakes", screening various non-mainstream films on the m+ Grand Stairs, from highly sought-after unexpected works to niche classics, to broaden the audience's understanding of film culture.

"Tsui Hark: The Pioneer of Unconstrained Vision"

The program aims to pay tribute to Tsui Hark, and will screen twelve of his masterpieces and hold a lecture in which Tsui Hark talks with actor and director Sylvia Chang. Tsui Hark is one of the most influential directors in the Hong Kong film industry. He has been creating films for forty-five years since his first film "Butterfly" (1979) set off a new wave of Hong Kong films. The "Film Studio" he founded in 1984 with famous producer Shi Nansheng is a stage that brings together film talents and allows them to unleash their unlimited creativity.

Tsui Hark's "Swordsman", 1990. Photo provided by Star Chinese Media Film Co., Ltd.

"Avant-garde! Playing in the Mirror"

This permanent series aims to allow the audience to explore the moving image trends of Asian contemporary artists in a one-day event. The first season of the program "Self-Performance in the Mirror" immerses the audience in video performance art, showing how artists combine performance and moving images to create creations. The program also covers screenings, lectures, and performances by artists Isaac Hoxon, Florence Lam, and Menadi Suyao. Live performance by Dem and Kavitavakana Yann. Playing in the Mirror explores the relationship between the body and spectacle, labor, capitalism, technology, endurance, vulnerability and failure, and invites artists to share their creative processes, sources of inspiration and motivations.

Menadi Suyodam, "Exergie - Butter Dance," 2000. Image courtesy of the artist.

Special screening.

"First Person Singular: I.M. Pei" (1997) will be presented to accompany the special exhibition "I.M. Pei: Life Is Like "Architecture" was released. In this documentary, I.M. Pei transformed into a tour guide with a friendly smile, leading the audience to visit his architectural masterpieces. "Bright Yellow and Forbidden Color" (2018) echoes the special exhibition "Guo Pei: Artistic Imagination" and records the story of Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei's struggle in the highly competitive haute couture industry.

Peter Rosen, "First Person Singular: Ieoh Ming Pei", 1997. Image provided by the director.

Artist Zhou Tao constructs a fantasy world based on the well-known reality. This season, m+ Cinema selects two of Zhou Tao's previous works, "The Cave" (2017) and "The Side of the Base" (2024), which fully demonstrate his documentary shooting techniques and aesthetics. His new commissioned work "Emerald" (2024) for m+ Curtain Wall will also be screened at the same time.

In the documentary "Pervert's Guide to Film" (2006) and its sequel "Zizek's Guide to Film: Ideology" (2012), Slovenian divine philosopher and film enthusiast Zizek serves as the host, leading the audience into The mysterious world of movies. He analyzed the works of masters such as Hitchcock, David Lynch and Tarkovsky, and reviewed "Alien" (1979), "Jaws" (1975), "Taxi Driver" (1976) and "Fat". "Orange" (1971) and other classic movies will be interpreted in depth. His research closely combines Marx's dialectical materialism with Lacan's psychoanalytic theory and film history, with lively and interesting narrations.Both screenings invited writer and film critic Lang Tian to attend a post-screening talk to share his views on Zizek on film and ideology.

"Sneak Peek": "Last Summer" (2023) and "Third Place" (2024)

m+ theaters are previewing the highly anticipated new local and overseas films. French director Catherine Breillat's new film "Last Summer" (2023) boldly depicts the unethical relationship between a lawyer and his stepson. "Ten Directions" (2024) by Hong Kong documentary director Wong Chiu-bang uses an observational style to record the life of the working class under the reconstruction of the old district of Hung Hom, and ponder the current urban changes with the audience.

"Last Summer" by Catherine Breya, 2023. Photos courtesy of pyramide films

"Bright Eyes" series

"Walking with Dragons: The Movie" (2013), adapted from the BBC documentary of the same name, tells the story of Pachyrhinosaurus Xiaoba travels across the Cretaceous continent, protecting his fellow herbivores in a world where the weak eat the strong. Pixar Animation's "The Age of Dinosaurs" (2015) imagines a world where humans and dinosaurs coexist. After Arau, a small and timid dinosaur, is accidentally washed away by a flood, he joins a savage child on his way home. Both movies provide free screening options, allowing young children to enjoy the movies without restraint. Children's tickets only cost HK$25.

"Sunken and Remaining Pearls" Series

The permanent series "Sunken and Remaining Pearls" aims to revisit the masterpieces and newly restored classics.

South Korean director Park Cheol-soo's "Gluttony" (1995) (also translated as "301 302") tells the story of two neighbors with extreme eating habits. The director is also internationally famous for this film. The film is now re-released in a 4k restored version. . In "The Last Victory" (1987), Eric Tsang falls in love with Li Lizhen, the woman of gangster Tsui Hark, and is forced to choose between brotherhood and love. Director Tam Kar-ming adapted the script written by Wong Kar-wai into a gangster film with a full visual style and lots of jokes.

Park Cheol-soo's "301 302", 1995. Photos provided by the director's family.

"Night on the Steps"

The new series "Mistakes" focuses on works that are hidden behind the mainstream but have a profound impact on movie-going culture. "Study for Death" (1999) (mainland translation: "Blair Witch") was a pioneer in applying found footage to horror films. It redefined fear with a very low budget and became a sensation. The master of violence, Miike Takashi, catapulted to the international film scene with his shocking love story "Skin Love" (1999). Christian Bier's maniacal performance in Mary Sharon's "Beauty" (2000) is so addictive that it has been given new life in today's meme culture.

Nandu reporter Zhu Rongting