The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) has announced that Japanese director Yoji Yamada's Kabei - Our Mother and Soul Of A Demon, directed by Taiwan's Chang Tso-chi, will open the 32nd edition of the festival (March 17-April 6).

Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine A Light and Coffee Or Tea, co-directed by veteran local filmmaker Shu Kei and his protege Kwan Man-hin, will close the event.

Yamada and Kabei star Asano Tadanobu along with Chang and his lead actors, Tseng Yi-che and Chen Pei-chun, are all expected to attend the HKIFF's opening ceremony on March 18.

Kabei, Soul Of A Demon and Shine A Light all recently had their world premieres at the Berlin film festival.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society has also appointed Albert Lee as executive director of the festival, replacing Peter Tsi who quit last year. Not to be confused with the Albert Lee who heads Emperor Motion Pictures, Lee previously headed the festival for 15 years in the 1980s and early 1990s.

More recently he headed the Hong Kong Film Archive and has come out of retirement to return to the HKIFF. He will work alongside HKIFF curator Jacob Wong and artistic director Li Cheuk To in overseeing the festival and two other events organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society - the Asian Film Awards (AFA) and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

In addition, the Asian Film Awards, which take place March 17, will bestow two honorary trophies. Yamada will be the first ever recipient of the AFA Lifetime Achievement Award, while Japanese director Ishii Yuya will receive the inaugural Edward Yang New Talent Award.

The festival's full line-up will be announced tomorrow (Feb 21).

Topics