The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is set to open on April 10, promising a 12-day cinematic celebration that will screen 195 titles from around the globe, as well as offering opportunities for audiences to engage with prominent actors and directors, the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society announced on Monday.

The festival will present films from 69 countries and regions. The lineup features six films that will have their world premieres during the HKIFF, two titles that will debut outside their production regions, and 52 films to be screened in Asia for the first time, Society Chairman Wilfred Wong Ying-wai said during a press conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A total of 312 screening sessions are planned, with events to be held throughout the 12 days allowing audiences to interact with celebrated international filmmakers such as French director Leos Carax, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen and Japanese actress Ando Sakura.

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The world debut of The Brightest Sun, by Japanese director Tetsuya Nakashima, and the screening of Pavane for an Infant, by Malaysian filmmaker Chong Keat Aun, will open this year’s festival. Berlin Golden Bear winner Dreams (Sex Love) will be shown on April 21 as the closing film.

Local filmmakers will also take the spotlight, with premieres including Hong Kong director Oliver Chan Siu-kwan’s Montages of a Modern Motherhood, Jeffrey Lam Sen and Antonio Tam Sin-yeung’s Valley of the Shadow of Death, and the documentary Never Too Late.

This year, Hong Kong actor Louis Koo Tin-lok, who served as the festival’s ambassador from 2014 to 2018, has been named the filmmaker in focus due to his extensive contributions to the industry as an actor and filmmaker. Ten titles starring Koo will be screened during the festival.

For the general public, ticket sales will begin at 10am of March 28, with prices ranging from HK$55 ($7.08) to HK$100. The festival will also offer discounted tickets priced at HK$28 each for full-time local students, seniors aged 60 and above, disabled people and their caregivers, and those receiving social assistance. Free community screenings will also take place throughout the event.

“We’re thrilled to have so many world-renowned film industry figures participating,” Wong said.

Founded in 1976, the HKIFF is Asia’s longest-running international film festival and has played a vital role in promoting Chinese-language and other Asian cinema on the global stage.

“This is the 49th festival, and it will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, which I believe will be even richer and more diverse,” said Wong.

At the press conference, 31-year-old actress Angela Yuen Lai-lam, the youngest ambassador in the festival’s history, introduced this year's theme: Dialogue.

She said this year’s event aims to foster conversations through impactful dialogues from a variety of profound international films.

“A well-crafted dialogue can truly reveal a character, illuminate the central theme, and act as the backbone of a compelling plot,” she said.

Also at the news conference, Koo said he is committed to showcasing high-quality Hong Kong films to a global audience and acknowledged the need to adapt to changing consumption patterns in filmmaking.

The announcing of HKIFF coincides with the opening of another mega event for the film and TV production industry – the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), which will run through Thursday.

Both the HKIFF and FILMART are integral parts of Entertainment Expo 2025, a vibrant showcase of Hong Kong’s strengths and global weight in the film, television, music and digital entertainment sectors.

FILMART participants lauded the festival’s lasting influence throughout China, Southeast Asia and beyond.

Xu Dezhi, copyright marketing supervisor at Hangzhou-based Rongliang Microdrama, a platform of short-form digital content known as micro-drama, highlighted the festival’s role as a key platform for Chinese films aiming to tap into the international market.

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“The Hong Kong International Film Festival holds global influence on par with the Cannes Film Festival and the Singapore International Film Festival, but with a unique emphasis on Chinese-language films, including those from the mainland,” he said.

Cai Ruiqiong, a producer of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, a popular Chinese animated series with a strong following in Southeast Asia, said the HKIFF and Filmart have long served as effective channels for promoting Chinese cultural creations globally.

Cai added that Hong Kong has become a launchpad for mainland entertainment content creators to explore the Southeast Asian market.

Contact the writer at lilei@chinadailyhk.com