CINE FAN SUMMER IFF RETURNS WITH THRILLS, CLASSICS AND NEW DISCOVERIES
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society returns with a refreshing edition of Cine Fan Summer IFF to beat the searing heat, featuring a line-up of bold and thrilling films.
This year's Summer IFF opens on 19 August with HOPE, an adrenaline-fuelled sci-fi thriller by South Korean director Na Hong-jin, who once again challenges the senses following his acclaimed supernatural horror The Wailing. Na will visit Hong Kong to meet audiences and lead a masterclass.
The festival closes on 30 August with the suspenseful Secret in the Box, produced by Philip Yung and directed by Frankie Tam Kwong-yuen. Inspired by the notorious cardboard box murder case that shocked Hong Kong in 1974, the film peels back layers of human hypocrisy and recreates the era's fear and unease. The stellar cast includes Zhang Songwen, Patrick Tam Yiu-man, Isabella Leong, Edan Lui, Jo Koo, and Will Or.
One of this year's highlights is Wong Kar Wai’s seminal Days of Being Wild, the film that cemented his status as a visionary auteur. The 4K restoration features a newly restored soundtrack, bringing Leslie Cheung's unforgettable performance to a new generation. Ticket holders can redeem a complimentary tote bag and a postcard featuring an unpublished film still at the screening.
Summer IFF also showcases a strong selection of new films fresh from this year's Cannes Film Festival. Highlights include The Beloved by Rodrigo Sorogoyen (The Beasts), starring Best Actor winner Javier Bardem; and Parallel Tales by Iranian master Asghar Farhadi, who teams with Best Actress winner Isabelle Huppert in a tribute to the late Krzysztof Kieślowski. The line-up also features Ira Sachs's gay-themed The Man I Love, starring Oscar winner Rami Malek; Kurosawa Kiyoshi's first period drama, The Samurai and the Prisoner, which reunites him with Suda Masaki; and Bruno Dumont's Red Rocks, which captures the mischievous charm of precocious children.
Hot picks from the Sundance Film Festival include the award-winning Josephine, a thought-provoking family portrait by Beth de Araújo. Also featured are Once Upon a Time in Harlem, David Greaves' documentary about the 1970s Harlem Renaissance and his father William Greaves' legacy; and YO (Love is a Rebellious Bird), in which documentarian Anna Fitch pays an intimate tribute to a departed friend through a handcrafted replica of her home.
The ever-popular Fantastic Beats section brims with excitement, madness and surrealism. Selections include the Japanese animation We Are Aliens, a nuanced portrait of growing up; Lucy Lost, a moving tale of imagination and childhood camaraderie; Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, a riot of blood and raw desire; Ben Wheatley's Normal, a carnival of carnage with Coen-esque absurdity; and Ghost in the Cell, which fuses absurd satire with gory violence.
Alongside new releases, the special programme Zoom In Zoom Out Hong Sang-soo presents ten early works by the acclaimed Korean auteur. The retrospective traces the evolution of his distinctive style, characterised by minimalism, light humour and lasting charm. The line-up includes his debut feature, The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, winner of the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival; The Power of Kangwon Province, which established his trademark approach; Tale of Cinema, widely regarded as an early masterpiece; Oki’s Movie, known for its bold narrative experimentation; and Our Sunhi, which shifts the focus to female subjectivity.
The classic selection is equally compelling. Local cult favourites include Dennis Yu's horror masterpiece The Imp and Tsui Hark's The Blade, which subverts wuxia conventions. David Cronenberg's A History of Violence and Eastern Promises showcase his signature gory thrills, while Viggo Mortensen delivers captivating performances as two very different killers. To mark the centenary of Marilyn Monroe's birth, two defining works, The Seven Year Itch and The Misfits, have been selected for screening. Through the lenses of Billy Wilder and John Huston, Monroe’s radiant charm and fragile sensitivity are laid bare in equal measure.
The complete Summer IFF 2026 programme is now available on the HKIFFS official website, http://cinefan.com.hk. Tickets go on sale from 31 July via URBTIX. Full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, and CSSA recipients can enjoy discounted tickets priced at $28 each.
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