Hong Kong photo-essay

Unlike many of this past week's blog entries, this post isn't completely Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) related. However, there's no denying that it has HKIFF connections since all of the following photographs were taken on my recent visit to Hong Kong; a majorly large part of which involved going to and from as well as attending HKIFF screenings.

Put another way: Many of these photos were taken around the vicinity -- or, at the very least, within walking distance -- of HKIFF screening venues. Also, one of the pictures is of HKIFF Awards Gala presenters and honorees while another captures a notable HKIFF attendee in the midst of collecting material for his blog. Then there are the photos of places with cinematic connections on account of their having appeared in at least one Hong Kong film.

So, okay, I admit it: i.e., that when you put this all together, what you have is photographic evidence of my time in the Fragrant Harbour often being spent walking in a movie inspired daze as well as my visits to that territory largely being motivated by my love of the cinema of Hong Kong -- and this especially so when it's that time of the year when the HKIFF is on! ;b

Hong Kong at night
-- more specifically, pictured here are
the High Block of the Hong Kong City Hall in the foreground,
and the HSBC Bank Headquarters and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
over on each side in the background

David Bordwell taking photographs for his blog
of the tributes to the late Leslie Cheung
left on one side of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to commemorate
the beloved actor-singer's recent death anniversary

Modest this herbal tea shop on the corner
of Hollywood Road and Peel Street may look,
but it's got a place in Hong Kong movie lore
by virtue of its having been the primary locale featured
in Herman Yau's charming Herbal Tea (2004)

Mongkok Road in the Kowloon-side district of Mongkok
-- the part of Hong Kong associated with movies galore,
including One Nite in Mongkok (2004), Mongkok Story (1996),
Task Force (1997) and Queen of Temple Street (1990)

The super long escalators of Mongkok's Langham Place
which, to my mind, deserve to feature in far better films than
One Way Street on a Turntable (2006)! ;S

The HKIFF's actually quite low-key Awards Gala
took place before the screening of The Go Master (2006)
that I attended on the evening of 3rd April, 2007

One of my favorite buildings in Hong Kong --
that of the Yau Ma Tei Police Station
which has appeared in tons of Hong Kong movies
and also functions as a sign that you're close to
the marvelous Broadway Cinematheque and its attendant shops
(including the superb Kubrick bookstore) :)