‘Infernal Affairs’ Marathon Set for Hong Kong Film Festival

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA marathon screening of all three “Infernal Affairs” films has been announced for the much delayed 46th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.The three films, all restored and upgraded to 4K digital prints, lead off a six- film section of Chinese-language restored classics at the festival.The HKIFF was this year postponed from its usual March-April slot to August, due to the fifth wave of the COVID pandemic which closed Hong Kong cinemas for the first months of 2022.

It will now take place from Aug. 15-31 for 17 days, again adopting a hybrid format, featuring screenings and audience-engagement events in theatres and online.Other titles in the section include: Ann Hui’s “Boat People” from 1982; Lou Ye’s “Suzhou River” from 2000; and Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s “Millennium Mambo” from 2001.

Delivered in 2002 and featuring a narrative about an undercover cop battling a triad mole, “Infernal Affairs,” was one of the most successful and iconic films of the 21st century, cementing Hong Kong’s reputation as a global hub of stylish hard-boiled crime movies.

The festival has called it, “arguably, the definitive [Hong Kong] film of the post-1997 era,” a reference to the date when Hong Kong ceased to be governed by the United Kingdom and was formally returned to Chinese control.The film also had a galvanizing effect on the careers of co-director Andrew Lau (aka Lau Wai-keung), who also produced through his Basic Pictures, and established screenwriters Alan Mak and Felix Chong.It was a success for Cantopop ‘Heavenly King’ Andy Lau (aka Lau Tak-wah) who was lead star opposite Tony Leung (aka Leung Chiu-wai).