11 must-see movies and programmes at Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival 2024

The original Godzilla and King Kong films, a Hayao Miyazaki documentary and two 2024 Cannes winners are among the highlights of Summer IFF

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Ethan Juan and Karena Lam in a still from Tales of Taipei, an anthology shot by 10 rising directors from Asia and one of our must-sees at the Summer International Film Festival 2024 in Hong Kong.

Published: 9:45am, 1 Aug 2024

The Hong Kong International Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its summer cinematic showcase this year, and it includes a mix of favourites from the 2024 festival circuit and lovingly restored classics of world cinema.

What better excuse do you need to escape the torrential rain and suffocating heat and retreat indoors for a couple of hours of unbridled escapism?

Below are the must-see films and programmes from this year’s festival, also known as Summer IFF.

1. Black Dog

Following a string of big-budget propaganda epics, Chinese director Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred) returns to his independent roots for this offbeat noir, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng Yu-yan plays an ex-con who returns to his hometown in the Gobi desert and joins a team tasked with rounding up stray dogs. Surprisingly, he bonds with a notorious rabid mutt, and the unlikely pair of outcasts embark on their own adventure.

2. The Substance

French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat follows up her bloodthirsty festival favourite Revenge with some ghoulish body horror reminiscent of David Cronenberg.