Canada is part of five films selected for the 43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival, which takes place from March 18 to April 1, 2019.
And from March 18 to 21, we’ll be waiting for you at our Canada Pavilion at Hong Kong FILMART market! Click here for all the info on our market presence and partners, and read on below for the scoop on our three documentaries and two features, including new titles fresh from Sundance film festival and the Berlinale!
With award-winning Canadian Paul Cadieux as one of its co-producers, the Israel-Canada-Switzerland coproduction Advocate follows Lea Tsemel, a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who defends Palestinians and political prisoners. American filmmaker Rachel Leah Jones and French filmmaker Philippe Bellaïche directed this documentary, which had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and will be featured in the Special Presentations program at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival!
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch is a Canadian documentary directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky. This experiential film about how humans have “re-engineered” planet Earth continues to enthrall the international festival circuit: from the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, Berlin International Film Festival, and now Hong Kong, to name a few! With scenes shot in China, Germany, Russia, Kenya, Chile, and more, this flick’s awards include the Rogers Best Canadian Film (from the Toronto Film Critics Association) and Best Canadian Documentary (from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle).
After making its world premiere in competition at this year’s Berlinale, Denis Côté’s Ghost Town Anthology (Répertoire des villes disparues) heads to Hong Kong. This dramatic feature tells the story of a small Quebec town that begins to see lots of ghosts after a car crash takes the life of one of its teenage citizens.
What would you do if you found a couple of sacks of money after a robbery? A philosophy student grapples with this question in Denys Arcand’s The Fall of the American Empire (La chute de l’empire américain). After showing at TIFF, it snagged the coveted FIPRESCI award (from the International Federation of Film Critics) at Spain’s Valladolid International Film Festival! Cinephiles will recognize the title as a nod to the Oscar-winning Quebec director’s 1986 hit The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l’empire américain).
And finally, Fausto ! Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, Toronto-born filmmaker Andrea Bussman directs this Mexico-Canada coproduction. Filmed in Oaxaca, Mexico, this documentary’s awards so far include a Special Mention in the Filmmakers of the Present Competition at the 2018 Locarno International Film Festival, and Best Latin American Film at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.
Bonus: Telefilm Canada will be presenting two First Look market screenings! We’re talking 35 minutes show reel clips from new Canadian films, expected to hit the international festival circuit over the course of the spring and summer 2019.
For more information on financial support to distribution companies that acquire Canadian feature films please visit Export Assistance Program.
