There are many good movies in the history of Hong Kong. Most citizens of the SAR are aware that we have a rich cinematic heritage, which includes a substantial number of wonderful films. Yet, this rich tradition remains largely unrecognized, even ignored. Old movies are often considered irrelevant, poorly made and, perhaps worst, boring.

“100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies” aims at correcting that misguided perception. It is a screening programme presented by the Hong Kong Film Archive, designed to let viewers experience some of the best movies made in Hong Kong.

The programme features one hundred titles, representing Hong Kong cinema from its early years to the end of the 20th Century. Films were selected mostly on artistic grounds but in some instances on historical significance. As the programme title indicates, these are films that must be seen. Availability is therefore another selection criterion. The idea of “must see” loses meaning if the films cannot be seen. As such, all of the titles on the list are, as far as we can determine, available for screening.

The titles were chosen by a panel of experts wellversed in the history of Hong Kong cinema.
They are Sam Ho, Programmer of the HKFA; Po Fung, HKFA Research Officer; Wong Ain-ling, former HKFA Researcher Officer and renowned writer; Law Kar, former HKFA Programmer and film researcher; Li Cheuk-to, Artistic Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival; and Shu Kei, Dean of the School of Film & Television, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.