The Wit and Wisdom of Cinema City

Introduction

Cinema City was a rare breed in Hong Kong cinema history, holding an astounding hit streak that began with inaugural film Laughing Times (1980) and already gauged 27 million dollars' box office by its eighth release Aces Go Places (1982). Under a system that encouraged teamwork in both the scriptwriting and production processes, Cinema City made quality entertainment that constantly injected new ideas and a breath of fresh air to Hong Kong audiences.

Cinema City's filmography was a diverse melting pot of zany humour, wit, intrigue, adventure and the supernatural. The company worked hard to make every film better than their last, putting in great thought and care into each production. Their mottos? "Glamorous sets and gorgeous cast" and "Matching the taste of the audience."

Cinema City was the brainchild of seven masterminds: Karl "The Authority" Maka, Raymond "The Optimist" Wong, Dean "The Pessimist" Shek, Teddy "The Logic" Robin, Tsui "The Warrior" Hark, Nansun Shi and Eric Tsang. Each mastermind had a specialty, and each of them was superior in their own way. The team had a humble beginning, working together in a small eighty-square-foot room. By the time the company ended with the masterminds branching out to their own companies, Cinema City had produced nearly a hundred films, nurtured numerous talents for the Hong Kong entertainment industry and left an important mark in Hong Kong cinema history. Cinema City was more than an art factory; it was a monumental institution that created great films that will endure for generations.

This retrospective was made possible with the full support of Fortune Star Media Limited, Mr Gordon Fung Ping-chung, the seven masterminds of Cinema City, as well as the hard work of our Research Unit, Programming Unit, Editorial Unit, Acquisition Unit and Conservation Unit. We selected 28 films for the screening programme including the 4K digitally restored A Better Tomorrow (1986). We try our best to project available 35mm prints for the rest, despite scratches and worn-out colours on the film prints, to better present the films' original visual aesthetics.

In addition to a screening programme, the Hong Kong Film Archive is also hosting seminars, organising an exhibition and publishing a book.

Special Thanks To：
Mr Karl Maka, Mr Raymond Wong, Mr Dean Shek, Mr Tsui Hark, Ms Nansun Shi, Mr Teddy Robin, Mr Eric Tsang, Ms Sylvia Chang, Mr Gordon Fung Pingchung, Mr Tony Chow, Mr David Wu, Mr Yuen Tai-yung, Mr Ringo Lam, Mr Yiu Yau-hung, Mr Edward Li and Mr Wellington Fung for offering interviews and providing photos, creative works and other archival materials that made this programme possible.

Partner Organisation: Fortune Star Media Limited

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter.
The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.