RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
Hong Kong International Film Festival
The annual Hong Kong International Film Festival, held in March/April, is one of the world's major non-competitive film festivals. The 21st Festival in 1997 presented 220 films from more than 40 countries and attracted a total audience of 142 165.
Apart from the screening of films, several fringe activities were held, including exhibitions, conferences and outdoor film shows. The topic of the Hong Kong Cinema Retrospective this year was Fifty Years of Electric Shadows introducing the development of Hong Kong movies. A large-scale conference involving both local and overseas film makers and scholars was also organised under this theme.
Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards 1997
Jointly presented with the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the competition aims to encourage creative non-commercial independent productions of short film and video in Hong Kong and to promote the interest of the public in film and video as artistic, communicative and expressive media.
Chinese Opera Festival
The Chinese Opera Festival was held over three weeks in October and November featuring 18 visiting and 26 local performing groups. Seminars, lecture- demonstrations, exhibitions and free outdoor performances augmented the main performances.
International Arts Carnival
The annual International Arts Carnival entered its 16th year in 1997. It took place in July and August and had 20 performances of paper theatre, Chinese dance, ballet, puppetry, concerts and children's drama. The shows were staged by three visiting and 10 local groups.
Other special features of the festival included a poster design competition and exhibition as well as workshops and tours to cultural venues.
Provisional Regional Council Presentations
The Provisional Regional Council continued to present a wide variety of local and overseas cultural programmes in 1997. International presentations included the renowned flutist Jean Pierre Rampal, pianist Dang Thai-son, the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, the distinguished pianist Rudolf Buchbinder with the Camarata Academica Salzburg from Austria, and the Het International Danstheater from Netherlands.
Chinese programmes are also important elements in the overall programme mix. Those presented included the National Ballet of China, Shanxi Song and Dance Troupe, Liaoning Opera House and a Chinese instrumental concert series featuring the Dongbei Drum and Wind Folk Music Ensemble and Lu Chunling with the Chinese Folk Music Ensemble.
The council continued its collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Festival in presenting major festival programmes at its venues. Full support was also given to local professional companies such as the Hong Kong Ballet, Chung Ying Theatre Company and City Contemporary Dance Company in commissioning new productions. In 1997, the council presented 615 programmes, reaching a total audience of 273 691.
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