Can Hong Kong films top the successes of 2024 this year?
Academic Kenny Ng believes industry can continue to reinvent itself and build on momentum to produce wave of ‘human-centric’ films
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Hong Kong film industry enjoys banner year in 2024, buoyed by fresh talent, demand for realism
Hong Kong cinema in 2025 can build on the momentum of popular and award-winning films from last year and produce a wave of “human-centric” films that are socially relevant and tackle the city’s evolving identity, an academic has said.
Kenny Ng Kwok-kwan, associate professor of Baptist University’s Academy of Film, struck an optimistic note about another rewarding year for the local industry despite reduced government funding for emerging filmmakers, concerns about political censorship and the continued closure of cinemas in the city.
The sector has been through a roller-coaster ride in the past year. For the first time since 2004, local films captured a larger market share than Hollywood blockbusters, yet overall box office takings dropped 6.2 per cent from 2023 to HK$1.34 billion (US$172.1 million) – the lowest in 13 years.
Despite the challenges, 2025 promises an exciting line-up of Hong Kong productions.
Among the films generating a buzz is The Way We Talk, which won local actress Chung Suet-ying the best actress prize at last year’s Golden Horse Awards for her portrayal of a deaf girl.
Another anticipated release is Montages of a Modern Motherhood, which was selected as the only Hong Kong film to screen at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival in 2024. It is slated for release in Hong Kong in the first half of this year.
