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persons, and five hundred ninety-seven (597) were Urban Council presentations attended by three hundred twenty-eight thousand two hundred forty-five (328,245) persons.
Of the Urban Council presentations: two hundred twenty-two (222) were concerts, twenty (20) opera, eighty-eight (88) play, and sixty-two (62) ballet and dance, and two hundred and five (205) other types of performances.
Some of the notable performances by overseas groups were: Choral concert by 'The Scholars', a joint presentation with the British Council, Japanese Film Exhibition, Guitar Recital by Rair Shanker, West Side Story, Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, The Royal Danish Ballet, Vocal Recital by Joan Grillo and Richard Kness, Capella Academica Vienna, Chinese Opera Festival, Dance Theatre of Harlem, California Chamber Symphony Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, and Vocal Recital by Elly Ameling. It is also the Council policy to render support and encouragement to the further development of local artists. To this end, numerous performances by local artists were put on at the City Hall.
Subsidy to City Hall Hirers
During the year, the rate of subsidy to non-commercial hirers was increased in conjunction with the revision in hire charges. Up to November, $186,490 of subsidy has been approved out of a total amount of $300,000.
Special Projects
In their fourth season, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Repertoire Theatre both have gained and are continuing to receive strong public support. The 75-member Orchestra gave 37 public concerts to a capacity audience and 11 school concerts. The Orchestra has been introducing new musical works into its repertoire, and more than 200 new compositions and arrangements have been commissioned since 1977.
The 15 full-time members of the Repertoire Theatre gave a total of five large productions, three small productions, and 15 touring performances up to the end of December. If and when required, the full-time actors and actresses are assisted by free-lance artists and supporting staff.
Besides staging public performances, the Theatre continues to organize amateur drama festivals, lectures, and training courses.
Festivals
The 5th Festival of Asian Arts was held from 16 October to 1 November. For the first time, Australia, China, and New Zealand participated: Australia with their Arnhem Land Aboriginal Dancers, China with their Chinese Peking Opera Second Company, and New Zealand with their Maori Cultural and Performing Arts Group. In all, 420 overseas artists from 13 countries gave 146 performances, 72 of which were at either the City Hall or the Space Museum, and 74 were at 7 different outdoor venues. The outdoor performances attracted an estimated audience of 135,000 persons. For the indoor performances, 95% of the available tickets were sold.
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For the opening of the Festival, the Hong Kong Repertoire Theatre performed 'Rashomon' in Cantonese, and for the first time, simultaneous interpretation service in English was provided. This was an innovative approach for Hong Kong, and favourable comments were received.
As in previous Festivals, exhibitions of Asian culture were organized. This year, there was an exhibition on Australian Aboriginal Heritage at the Museum of History, an exhibition on "The Art of Chen Shuren', an exhibition on 'Chinese Ceramics' jointly organized with Min Chiu Society, an exhibition on "Singapore Contemporary Painting', and an exhibition of 'Books on Asian Arts' at the City Hall. Preliminary preparation for the 6th Festival of Asian Arts has already begun. It will take place from 15 October 1981 to 31 October 1981.
International Film Festival
The 4th International Film Festival was held from 3 to 18 April 1980 at the City Hall and the King's Theatre. The Festival is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations in Paris. The Festival is now known to the international film world as a regular fixture in the Urban Council cultural programme. 114 films from overseas and Hong Kong, divided into the International Cinema Section, the Asian Cinema Section, the Hong Kong Cinema '80 Section, and 'A Study of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Film' Section were shown at 155 screenings, and the overall attendance was 32,909. An additional 32,000 visitors attended the 'Posters and Stills Exhibition' at the City Hall Exhibition Hall.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a non-competitive and non-commercial film festival. No awards for winning films are presented, nor is there a film-mart. The purpose of the Festival is to bring to Hong Kong films of artistic merit which would normally not be shown commercially. The purpose of the festival is for the enjoyment of the citizens of Hong Kong. For the 4th International Film Festival, the total expenditure was $619,000, and revenue was $390,000. Needless to say, this is a most cost-effective film festival by any standard.
Museums
The Museum of Art has had a most active year. Perhaps the most significant exhibition was that of 'An Anthology of Chinese Ceramics' jointly organized by the Council and the Min Chiu Society and held during the Festival of Asian Arts. This exhibition featured some of the finest examples of Chinese pottery and porcelain from Han to Ching dynasty. All in all, 14 major exhibitions were mounted, and I append as part of this statement a list of exhibitions and a list of publications. The number of visitors to our galleries and exhibition hall was 302,000.
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