Canada | 2023 Director: Sébastien GagnéIn French with Chinese and English subtitlesDuration: 1 hr 29 minsAge Recommendation: Best for ages 8 or aboveGrand Prize for Live-Action Feature, New York International Children’s Film Festival 2024, USAWandering Goats – Audience Award, Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival 2024, PolandBest International Children’s Film MDR Special Award & Best International Feature Film, International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience SCHLiNGEL 2023, GermanyAfter his father faces financial struggles, Max is forced to shut down his small business that he operates in his garage and move to a small country town. There he discovers another business opportunity when he sees the happy free-range chickens raised by his cousin Charles. Together with the local YouTuber Alice, three 12-year-olds start an egg farming business. The animal-friendly Coco Farm quickly becomes a major hit, but the three partners soon find themselves facing the harsh realities of an industry controlled by mega consortium.#Solidarity #Perseverance #Entrepreneur

Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 102, No. 1Brahms Cello Sonata in F, Op. 99Ligeti Sonata for Solo CelloProkofiev Cello Sonata in C, Op. 119

Features Cantonese IntroductionApproximate running time: 1 hr 15 minsAge Recommendation: Best for ages 6 or aboveIn this year’s Summer Family Cine Fest we have curated 3 Short film programmes for the enjoyment of everyone. Programme 1 is suitable for children aged 6 or above. The 6 chosen short animations cover a wide spectrum of styles from traditional hand-drawn frames, motion graphics to 3D animation. Both coming from France and using a vivid approach, Atomic Chicken and Filante tell the story of defending and never giving up your family. On the other hand, the multi-award-winning Capybaras uses a cooler tone to talk about how human being harms animals.

A Semi-staged Operetta in Three ActsSung in German, Dialogue in English, with Chinese and English Surtitles"The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe)" is Franz Lehár’s most enduring operetta and a sparkling jewel of the Viennese stage. Premiering in 1905, it quickly became a global sensation, charming audiences with its infectious waltzes, witty dialogue, and heartwarming romance. The story follows the wealthy widow Hanna Glawari and the efforts of the Pontevedrian embassy in Paris to ensure she marries a fellow countryman, most preferably the dashing Count Danilo, so her fortune remains in their impoverished homeland. Filled with elegance and comedic intrigue, but also capturing the glamour and sophistication of Belle Époque Paris, the operetta is light-hearted and full of charm. This production by Opera Hong Kong features the renowned German conductor Michael Koehler and the experienced opera director Tang Xinxin. The cast consists entirely of local singers, who will perform alongside the Opera Hong Kong Orchestra and Opera Hong Kong Chorus.

Features Cantonese IntroductionApproximate running time: 1 hr 15 minsAge Recommendation: Best for ages 3 or aboveProgramme 3 is like Programme 2, with the same fast pace and hilarious content. Topping the crazy and funny index is the Spanish production Ciao Peskao. A hungry cat living alone on an isolated island just wants to catch a fish for lunch, but it causes a riot that almost shakes half of the Pacific Ocean! Also craving the food are the bandits in Mojappi It’s mine! and the fox in Foxtale. Be advised: get your stomach full before entering the cinema!

Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yunchang, was a famous general during the Three Kingdoms period. He was so well-known for his loyalty and righteousness that he was later deified and worshipped as a folk god. The legend of Guan Yu has been a frequent subject of adaptation in Chinese opera and theatre, to the extent that both Peking and Cantonese opera traditions have Guan Gong (Lord Guan) as a genre of performance, a rare instance where the genre name is taken directly from a character. The stage image of Guan Gong is unique and authoritative. Always dressed in green robes and golden armour, and armed with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and a red riding whip, with a long beard on a red painted face, Lord Guan is a commanding and noble presence. There are set movements and gestures associated with the role of Lord Guan, such as glaring, stroking and throwing back his beard, and puffing up his cheeks. The highlight of any notable interpretation of the role is how the performer brings out the stature and impressiveness of the character, often by half-closing his eyes. They also need to stay composed while displaying a mastery of both vocal techniques and stage movements in a way that complements the majesty of luogu (gong-and-drum) music. The role, therefore, is very much a distillation of the aesthetics of unadorned simplicity and traditional elegance at the heart of Cantonese opera.As one of the most iconic figures in Chinese culture, some of the well-known Cantonese opera pieces on Lord Guan have been adapted into films in the 1950s and 1960s, starring performers famed for their interpretations of the character, including Sun Chu, Kwan Takhing (both of whom were named ‘Living Lord Guan’ for their virtuoso skills), and ‘Female Lord Guan’ Leng Wah Hang. ‘Cantonese Opera Films: The Legend of Guan Gong’ is one of the programmes of the Chinese Culture Festival 2025. The leading roles in four of the five films selected are played by these three stellar Cantonese opera performers. Additionally, a film featuring famous Peking opera actor Yu Zhanyuan in the role of Lord Guan has also been selected. These screenings are an unmissable opportunity to withness the incomparable skills and talents of some of the best interpreters of the Lord Guan character in Cantonese opera films on the big screen.

The Hong Kong Youth Music Camp is one of the signature summer events organised by the Music Office. Around 400 young musicians and choristers are offered precious opportunities to receive inspiring music training from notable music maestros from the Mainland and overseas.Conductors of the Children’s Choir, Chinese Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Junior Chinese Orchestra, Junior String Orchestra and Junior Symphonic Band in the music camp are Prof. Theodora Pavlovitch (Bulgaria), Gao Wei (China), Dr. Anthony Spain (USA), Guo Pan (China), Chu Yi-bing (USA) and Dr. Ralph Hultgren (Australia). Six esteemed maestros will lead the young musicians with unwavering dedication in two captivating concerts, showcasing the extraordinary fruits of the music camp training.Concert II10/8 (Sun) 7:30pmHong Kong City Hall Concert HallPerforming GroupsJunior Chinese Orchestra, Junior String Orchestra, and Junior Symphonic BandConductorsGuo Pan, Chu Yi-bing and Dr. Ralph Hultgren

The Netherlands | 2023Director: Raymond GrimbergenIn Dutch with Chinese and English subtitlesDuration: 1 hr 28 minsAge Recommendation: Best for ages 12 or aboveBest Film (Elements 10+), Giffoni Film Festival 2023, ItalyKids’ Jury Award, Zurich Film Festival 2024, SwitzerlandBorn in South America, a girl named Rosi has loved football since childhood, dreaming of joining the national team. With her skills and speed, she is like the female version of Virgil van Dijk. However, everything changes dramatically when she moves to the Netherlands with her family, which brings her many challenges. The only thing that helps her escape loneliness is football. Later, with the support of her close friends, Rosi joins the school girls’ football team. However, her talent invites jealousy from teammates, and she faces acute difficulties. Yet, as she navigates through these challenges, how does Rosi adjust her mindset and excel in the adversity?#Football #YouthThrive

Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia | 2024 Director: Wojtek WawszczykIn English with Chinese and English subtitlesDuration: 1 hr 34 minsAge Recommendation: Best for ages 6 or aboveBest Full-Length Children’s Film of Outstanding Artistic Value, Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival 2024, PolandBest Animated Feature, Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival 2024, United Arab EmiratesDiplodocus is a small and curious dinosaur living in a comic book drawn by the underrated artist Ted. One day, Diplodocus discovers he can teleport from one comic planet to another. Through this ability, Diplodocus meets quirky characters such as a wizard, a scientist and a pilot. Together they embark on a grand adventure. Meanwhile, convinced by his publisher that his dinosaur comic sucks, Ted grabs an eraser to erase everything… To save their comic planets and themselves, Diplodocus and his friends must help Ted regaining confidence.#Fantasy #Thevalueofcreation #Perseverance

The Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC - 220 AD) are a period of foundational importance in China’s rich and textured history. In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang founded the Qin dynasty after vanquishing the six other kingdoms of the turbulent and prolonged Warring States period. After becoming emperor, he set up unified systems and standards across the nation, carried out major building works, while also introducing harsh laws and penal codes. The suffering population rebelled against the despotic state, and Liu Bang emerged as a leader towards the end of the short-lived Qin state. After seizing power, Liu became the first emperor of the Han dynasty, which initially embraced a policy of non-interference. Later, with the Rule of Wen and Jing and the flourishing reign of Han Wudi, the dynasty saw prosperity and stability. Unlike the Qin dynasty, which lasted only 15 years, the Western and Eastern Han reigns extended for a total of over four centuries. The end of the Eastern Han dynasty saw the rise of different factions vying for the throne, ushering Chinese history into what was later known as the Three Kingdoms period.Both the Qin and Han dynasties laid the foundation for China’s development in a variety of ways, from territorial expansion and administrative systems to production techniques, education, and cultural exchange. The volatile and exciting history of this period has left behind a treasure trove of legends and stories, for example Luo Guanzhong’s serial novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which has, in turn, inspired operas, films, plays, television series, and even video games.Many of Hong Kong’s period drama films are set in the Qin or Han dynasties, drawing from official histories, literary classics, folklore, and historical reinterpretations. While some filmmakers have stayed faithful to history, others have been more liberal in mixing fact with fiction. A number of these films feature epic battle scenes which spared no expense, shooting on location in the Mainland while retaining Hong Kong cinema’s flair for exciting action.The ‘Tracing Qin and Han Through Cinema’ programme is part of Chinese Culture Festival 2025, featuring eight films set in the Qin and Han dynasties, with the screening of a new 4K digitised version of The Great Conqueror’s Concubine (1994) unveiling the programme. The film focuses on the rivalry between the Chu and Han states following the collapse of the Qin dynasty, offering an epic portrayal of the great general Xiang Yu’s meteoric rise to his dramatic downfall. In Dream Lovers (1986) and A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1990), we are taken on riveting journeys of historical imagination that reflect on the meaning of love in the past and the present. Also featuring the terracotta warriors is The Myth (2005), an exciting adventure film that combines elements of romance and Jackie Chan’s signature action in an exotic tale that traverses different time periods and geographical regions. Meanwhile, John Woo’s Red Cliff (2008) and its sequel, Red Cliff II (2009) vividly recreate the most famous battle of the Three Kingdoms period. Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008) and The Lost Bladesman (2011) reexamine legendary figures Zhao Zilong and Guan Yu from a modern perspective, offering fresh interpretations of these household names from history.We hope that audiences can engage in fruitful dialogues with the past and rediscover the roots of Chinese history and culture through this extraordinary cinematic journey.