Silver screen exhibition marks Hong Kong Film Archive’s silver jubilee
The Hong Kong Film Archive celebrates 25 years with a showcase tracing a century’s worth of local cinematic history
Long before K-dramas, Japanese anime and Bollywood movies became instruments of modern soft power, Hong Kong films were the leading Asian force on the big screen.
In the 1980s and 90s – the golden age of Hong Kong cinema – the city was the world’s third-largest film producer, with more than 200 releases annually, and the second-largest film exporter. But there’s a lot more to our cinematic history, which stretches all the way back to the “flickers” of the 20s.
To mark its 25th anniversary, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) is celebrating with a special exhibition. Held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin until March 29, 2027, this in-depth showcase features artefacts that span a century, beginning with the 1926 silent film Join the Army and Live, to offer a curation “of notable historical and cultural significance, inviting visitors to revisit the golden age of the screen”.
At the entrance, attendees are greeted with a photo tunnel of Hong Kong movie stars while inside, a sequence of historical trailers details the development of local films. Also on display are impressive set costumes from yesteryear that highlight the artistry that goes into filmmaking, including outfits worn by Li Lihua in Red Rose, the Songstress (1952) and Zhang Ziyi in the 2004 wuxia film House of Flying Daggers.
This section also features historical records related to film costumes, detailing how the HKFA acquires, restores and preserves them.