Small City, Big Dreams: Hong Kong Night at TIFF 2026
For such a tiny peninsula/island combo, Hong Kong is, weirdly, a big deal.
Growing up there and taking it for granted, it has always been a pleasant surprise when people beyond our tiny confines recognize our movies and our music, and cite to me the atmosphere in Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood For Love, the humour in Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle, and the choreography in Wilson Yip’s Ip Man or any Bruce Lee film. So, it is unsurprising, but no less pleasurable, to stumble upon an evening dedicated to Hong Kong cinema and its future on the world stage.
The evening of September 13th — day four of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and my personal struggles with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) (which decided the entirety of Line 1 was a reduced speed zone) — saw the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of Hong Kong bringing together Hong Kong film industry talents and enthusiasts at the Malaparte at TIFF Lightbox to spotlight Hong Kong films premiering at the festival. The evening’s attendance was marked by Fala Chen, who wrote and directed the short film Bloodline, and We Are Born Good director and screenwriter Leung-chuen Yeung and actress Suet-ying Chung.
This is their first time in Toronto for Yeung and Chung. We Are Born Good, a film about a petty row between two strangers escalating into chaos beyond either’s control that speaks to empathy, understanding, and the importance of connection, is an excellent example of a distinctly Hong Kong way of life that nonetheless resonates with global audiences. For Leung-cheun Yeung, premiering a film at TIFF has always been the dream.
“I’ve followed TIFF for many years and I’ve always hoped to take part,” he explained in a press circle interview with Antler River Media.
Debuting in Toronto is as fitting as it is impressive for Yeung’s incredibly strong debut feature, bringing a myriad of style, action and intrigue to the international world.
What stood out most in the event for me is how well the space lent itself to intimacy. We were — to my ongoing astonishment — able to have a little chat with Fala Chen. For me, having grown up watching her on Hong Kong’s TVB shows and now seeing her in person at a globally recognized film festival was nothing short of astonishing, bewildering, and exciting, in the best way.
Bloodline draws on Chen’s personal experiences juggling both a Chinese and American identity and the history of oppression Chinese immigrants have experienced, particularly during the 19th century.
“I think all of us feel displaced in some shape or form. So, using that part of history — and also I’m so close to my Chinese heritage and also my American identity — I feel like anybody, coming from different backgrounds, can relate,” said Chen, in an interview with Antler River Media.
The film highlights Chinese Americans in the 1950s, stylized like a classic Western, uniquely unheard of in historical iterations of the genre despite the large monumental impact Asian Americans had during the era, Chen explains. “The Chinese are still the perpetual foreigner in America, even if you’re the fifth generation, so I wanted to explore their identity issues and how they navigate their dual identity,” she said. “I want to put it in the horror genre to really knock the shit out of that identity issue.”
A shared universal experience transcending time is evoked by framing the experience through a pair of siblings searching for family treasure in 1950s Utah.
Overall, it was an exciting evening of watching familiar faces break out to a global audience, and, blessedly, endless floating quality hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. There was one tray giving out a whole thick cut of pork belly, and I thank whomever’s decision that was.
Hong Kong Cinema Night was a great way to connect with the films we are here to support and other industry professionals, both from and beyond Hong Kong.
