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Get ready for a packed August 2025, as theaters welcome a diverse slate of films. From action-packed blockbusters to intimate dramas, re-releases of classics, and fresh documentaries, there’s something for everyone this month.

Kicking off on August 1 and rolling through August 29, the lineup includes family-friendly animations, chilling horrors, and star-studded comedies. Whether you’re into heart-pounding thrillers or reflective documentaries, we’ve got the full breakdown of every release below.

Monk in Pieces (2025) Arte

This documentary dives into the creative mind of Meredith Monk, a trailblazing artist known for her work in music, theater, and dance. Featuring interviews with icons like Björk and David Byrne, it explores her innovative legacy.

With a runtime of 94 minutes, the film offers a vibrant look at Monk’s boundary-pushing career. Zeitgeist Films brings this wide release to audiences eager for a deep dive into avant-garde art.

She Rides Shotgun (2025) Fifth Season

A gritty drama-thriller,...

Adam Wong’s “The Way We Talk” arrives at a moment when cinema is grappling with authentic representation, yet it transcends the typical disability narrative by focusing on the mechanics of communication itself. The Hong Kong director, known for his nuanced portrayals of youth identity, constructs a story that operates on multiple levels—as a coming-of-age drama, a social critique, and an examination of how we choose to connect with the world around us.

The film centers on three deaf friends whose divergent approaches to communication create both conflict and understanding. Wolf (Neo Yau) champions sign language as cultural expression, Sophie (Chung Suet Ying) struggles with her cochlear implant identity, and Alan (Marco Ng) navigates between both worlds with practiced ease.

Set against Hong Kong’s historical oralism policy—which banned sign language in schools until 2010—the narrative explores how institutional decisions shape individual identity. Wong doesn’t construct this...

Adam Wong is an experienced and award-winning director, well-known for portraying the lives of youth in his pictures. “The Way We Talk” is no different, though it also touches on the topic of deafness. Wong’s latest production premiered at the 68th BFI London Film Festival and was screened at the 21st Hong Kong Asian Film Festival as well as the 61st Golden Horse Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Leading Actress. After a quite successful festival run, during which it gathered nominations for ten awards, the movie released in theatres in Hong Kong in February 2025.

The narrative follows three friends – Wolf (Neo Yau), Alan (Marco Tsz Ho Ng), and Sophie (Chung Suet Ying) – each experiencing problems with hearing in different ways. Wolf and Alan have known each other since childhood, while Sophie is a newer addition to the group. She is a cochlear implant user torn...

Each character uses a different method of communication in Adam Wong’s drama, which benefits from the chemistry of its lead performers

An incisive film-maker with a keen eye for contemporary youth culture, Hong Kong director Adam Wong has returned with another sensitive ensemble drama. The film follows three twentysomething friends as they navigate various degrees of deafness. Alan, played by first-time deaf actor Marco Ng, is a cochlear implant (Ci) user. He is also an ambassador for the surgery, which can help restore sound perception for those with hearing loss. Wolf (Neo Yau), his childhood friend, is a staunch user and supporter of sign language, which at one point was prohibited in local deaf schools; such institutions prioritised speech training, then believed to work better for hearing-impaired students. Sophie (Chung Suet Ying) is at a crossroads: she is a Ci user who cannot sign, but yearns to learn.

It would,...

HKIFF49 honours Louis Koo as this year’s Filmmaker in Focus for his outstanding performances and dedication to fostering the growth of local cinema. After the screening of Paradox, one of his most iconic works, the star actor-turned- producer took the stage at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, engaging in an inspiring Face to Face session with the moderator, actor Neo Yau, and the public.

What defines a good actor and a successful actor? Koo believed that a good actor not only excels in performances, but also embodies good human qualities – patience, and humility, serious and dedicated in filming, and willing to help others. A good actor may not be always successful; many good actors make great contributions to the cinema without any recognition. Filmmaking is a collective effort, a good actor should not focus only on his/her own performance, but the entire film as a whole.

Despite the challenges currently faced by the Hong Kong film industry, a wave of new filmmakers has emerged in recent years. Backed by government funding and the mentoring of experienced local producers and directors, these talents have seen encouraging box office results at home as well as festival play and some commercial success overseas.

Unlike Hong Kong’s previous generation of filmmakers, which specialized in crime thrillers and martial arts action movies, these younger directors tend to work with much smaller budgets and focus on realistic characters and social issues relevant to their hometown of Hong Kong. Few of these filmmakers are aiming for mainland Chinese audiences, due to the high costs, cultural differences and censorship issues that complicate releasing films in that market.

For nearly two decades now, the Hong Kong Film Development Council (Hkfdc) has provided a range of funding programmes to support local filmmakers, including the Film Production Financing Scheme,...

Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance leads the pack going into the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 18 nominations.

It is followed by Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In with 14 nods and Philip Yung’s Papa with 11 nominations. All three films will face off alongside Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk and Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, in both the best film and best director categories.

The 18 nominations secured by The Last Dance is the highest in Hkfa’s history since Teddy Chen’s Assassins And Bodyguards received the same number in 2010. Chan...

The nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards were announced last week. Considered the “Chinese-language Oscars,” the awards showcase films made in Mandarin, Cantonese, or other Chinese dialects. This year’s nominations included a diverse range of movies from Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Singapore.

John Hsu’s supernatural comedy “Dead Talents Society” topped the nominations with eleven total nods. The film tells the story of ghosts competing to haunt humans in an imagined afterlife. It received nominations for Best Feature Film, Best Director for John Hsu, and Best Original Screenplay. “Dead Talents Society” has already won audience awards at festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up in the Midnight Madness category.

Two other films, Tom Lin’s “Yen And Ai-Lee” and Geng Jun’s “Bel Ami,” followed closely behind with eight nominations each. These movies, along with Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well...

John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society has scored 11 nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards, followed by Tom Lin’s Yen And Ai-Lee and Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, with eight nods each.

Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are among the five films competing in the best film category, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew Hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. The same five films are also running in the best director category.

They reflect the overall representation at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, with the participation of Hong Kong,...

John Hsu’s horror comedy Dead Talents Society heads the race for this year’s Golden Horse Awards with 11 nominations, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Sandrine Pinna.

The film, set in a fictional underworld where ghosts can linger in the mortal realm by competing to haunt humans, is produced by Taiwan’s Activator Co, Sony Pictures International Productions and several other local companies.

It was followed in the awards race by Tom Lin’s Yen And Ai-Lee and Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, which both received eight nominations.

Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are both nominated for Best Narrative Feature, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew-hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. All five of these films are also nominated for Best Director.

Best Leading Actor nominations include King Jieh-wen (A...

Comedy-horror “Dead Talents Society” picked up 11 nominations for the Golden Horse Film Awards, making it the most acclaimed title among the 169 films in contention for the prestigious Chinese-language prizes.

“Yen and Ai-Lee” and “Bel Ami” both received eight nominations, putting them in a tie for second place. Recent Venice competition film “Stranger Eyes,” from Singapore’s Yeo Siew Hua received six.

Five films compete for the best narrative features award: John Hsu’s “Dead Talents Society,” Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film,” Geng Jun’s “Bel Ami” and “Stranger Eyes.” The same five also contest the best director award.

Nominees for best leading actor are: King Jieh-wen (“A Journey in Spring”), Chang Chen (“The Embers”), Yau Hawk-sau (“The Way We Talk”), Wanlop Rungkumjad (“Mongrel”) and Zhang Zhiyong (“Bel Ami”). Chang is a previous winner in the category.

Nominees for best actress are: Patra Au Ga-man...

Hong Kong’s One Cool Film group has announced five new movies, revealed through exclusive teasers and posters on the opening day of FilMart.

Upcoming films include “Love Lies,” starring Sandra Ng and M.C. Cheung Tinfu; “The Trier of Fact,” directed by Calvin Tong and featuring Louis Koo and Eddie Peng; “The Way We Talk,” produced, written and directed by Adam Wong, with Neo Yau, Chung Suet Ying and Ng Tsz Ho Marco in leading roles; “Good Game,” helmed by Dickson Leung, written by Lily He Xin and Sheng Ling Xiu Zhong, and starring Andrew Lam, Will Or and Yanny Chan; and “Behind the Shadows,” produced by Soi Cheang, directed by Jonathan Li and Chou Man Yu, and starring Koo, Chrissie Chou and Liu Kuan Ting.

“Love Lies,” which will premiere at the 48th Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival, tells the tale of an internet romance scam. Ng recommended Cheung,...

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has added 15 work-in-progress projects to the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), rounding up a bumper line-up of the new Hkiff Project Market.

This year, Haf joins the inaugural Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg) to create the new Hkiff Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development Haf projects and six Hcg projects.

The Wip section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors,...

Cheuk Wan-chi is an eclectic Hong Kong public personality; a radio host, a stand-up comedian, a writer, and a screenwriter for the likes of Sylvia Chang and Pang Ho-cheung, she is now at her third feature film as a director. After the girly action-comedy “Kick Ass Girls” in 2013 and “Temporary Family” in 2014, another comedy with a stellar cast addressing speculation on property in Hong Kong, her third film is yet again dealing with some very local issues. This time, though, the comedy tone gives way to a compelling drama where family and work tightly entwine.

Vital Sign is screening at New York Asian Film Festival

Protagonist Ma Chi-yip (Louis Koo) is a veteran Hong Kong paramedic working “on field” on ambulances, whose stubborn reluctance to follow protocols at all costs and to play along with the workplace bureaucracy has taken him nowhere. In fact, despite his experience and dedication, his...

Hkiff set to run from March 30 – April 10.

Three local films - Soi Cheang’s Mad Fate, Ann Hui’s documentary Elegies and Cheuk Wan Chi’s Vital Sign - will bookend the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) as it returns to a full physical event and welcomes international filmmakers back in person.

The festival unveiled its full line-up today at a press event well attended by local filmmakers and cast. Some 200 films from 64 countries and regions will be presented during the 12-day festival, including nine world premieres, six international premieres and 67 Asian premieres. There will be 320 (mostly in-theatre...

The Asian premiere of Soi Cheang’s “Mad Fate” is just one of three locally-produced movies that have been set as the opening and closing titles of the upcoming Hong Kong International Film Festival.

“Mad Fate” is joined in the festival opening slot on March 30 by “Elegies,” Ann Hui’s documentary portrayal of the topography of contemporary local poetry, which will have its world premiere. The closing film, another world premiere, is “Vital Sign,” an affecting drama directed by Cheuk Wan-chi and starring Louis Koo, Yau Hawk-sau, and Angela Yuen, which will wrap up proceedings on 10 April.

In total, the festival has programmed some 200 films from 64 countries and territories. These include nine world premieres, six international premieres, and 67 Asian premieres.

“Mad Fate,” an intense examination of murder, local superstition and the lower depths of society, premiered last month at the Berlin festival in a special section. Cheang will be a major feature of the Hkiff,...

This year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) will open with two local films – Soi Cheang’s noir thriller Mad Fate and the world premiere of Ann Hui’s Elegies, a documentary about contemporary local poetry.

Mad Fate, starring Gordon Lam and Lokman Yeung, a member of hot boy band Mirror, recently had its world premiere at the Berlin film festival. Soi Cheang has also been chosen as the Filmmaker In Focus at this year’s Hkiff.

The world premiere of Cheuk Wan-chi’s Vital Sign, starring starring Louis Koo, Yau Hawk-sau and Angela Yuen, will close the festival.

Hkiff, which runs for 12 days from March 30 to April 10, is returning to its usual spring dates after being postponed to August last year due to Hong Kong’s fifth and most serious wave of Covid.

Overseas filmmakers, including Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-Liang and Lee Kang-Sheng, will be returning to the...

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society reunites with celebrated actor Aaron Kwok and international visual artist Wing Shya to lead audiences into another magical voyage to discover the wonders of cinema.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of the longest-running international film festivals in Asia. The full programme of its 44th edition (HKIFF44), to be held from 24 March to 6 April, will be announced on 10 March. The public can purchase tickets online (www.hkiff.org.hk) and through all Urbtix outlets from 13 March.

Shya, who conceived the acclaimed Colours in the Dark motif for HKIFF43, returns this year with a brand new key-art design featuring a stunning collage of extravagant colours and electrifying images.

Unveiling the new key art for the first time today, Hkiffs’s Head of Marketing, Catherine Liu, believes Shya’s design conjures the fantasy, dynamism and diversity of the cinematic universe.

“The imagination it...

The rom-com genre seems to be on the rise again in Hk cinema, with productions like the “Love in a Puff” series, “SoulMate” and the present film, which has also incorporated coming-of-age elements in the setting of the changes Hong Kong experienced from the Golden Age of the 90’s until today.

Watch This Movie

The story unfolds in two axes, one taking place in the present, when Gigi Yu has trouble with her marriage with Shing Wah, and the second 20 years before, when the two of them and Bok Man were inseparable friends in school, with the aviation club functioning as the base of their relationship.

In the present, both Gigi Yu and Shing Wah are stuck working extreme hours, she in a travel agency and he as a leader of a design team that caters mainland clients’ needs. While she seems to be the one most troubled by their alienation,...

Hong Kong films that have the prison system as their main theme are a rarity in the local cinema, particularly if we exclude the Cat III ones. “With Prisoners”, which is loosely based on a true story, is one of those rarities.

“With Prisoners” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival

Fan, a young man and an aspiring thug who works as a bouncer in a bar, ends up in juvenile prison (for men aged 14-25), after a brawl with an off-duty cop who was mishandling his girlfriend. In there, he finds out that the military discipline is extended to all aspects of everyday life, including the hours in the courtyard and the meals, while the hazing is utterly brutal. The prisoners are frequently cursed and beaten by the guards, for the smallest of reasons, and they even have to scrub toilets with their bare hands. amonmg a number of other tortures.

Derek Chiu was born in Hong Kong in 1961, he studied foreign languages and literature at National Taiwan University. After returning to Hong Kong, he gained experience working in television. In 1992, he directed his first film, “Pink Bomb,” then often collaborated with Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai shooting three films for their Milkyway Image film company. More recently, he served as a producer on the highly successful “Mad World,” directed by Wong Chun. Derek Chiu is currently an associate professor at School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong.

On the occasion of No. 1 Chung Ying Street screening at Five Flavours , we speak with him about the difficulties he met in completing the film, the casting , the music, his future plans, but above all politics, including the recent event at the Golden Horse Awards.

Can you tell us about how “No. 1 Chung Ying Street” project started?

It was...

Hong Kong director Adam Wong’s 2013 film The Way We Dance was a miracle at the local box office, and he followed that up with the critical and commercial hit She Remembers, He Forgets in 2015. She Remembers, He Forgets is a bittersweet film that is filled with nostalgia. It stars Miriam Yeung (Love In The Buff), Jan Lamb (29+1) and newcomers Cecilia So, Neo Yau and Ng Siu Hin. In search of an answer for her broken marriage, Gigi journeys into her shiny high school year memories only to discover a deeply hidden secret that will transform her life. She Remembers, He Forgets is now streaming in North America, and thanks to Cheng Cheng Films, a New York-based distributor that specializes...

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