ENG-2007 — Page 453

Recreation, Sport and the Arts 381

competition and other activities. Some 134 400 people attended the festival's 443 shows, which featured 42 local and 12 overseas performing groups.

Mediterranean Arts Festival

Riding on the success of the Latin Passion Festival in 2005, the second edition of the World Cultures Festival Series held in Hong Kong chose the Mediterranean as its theme. The opening programme featured the scrumptious 17th-century Italian. carnivals, The Italian Feast performed by Balthasar Neumann Choir and Ensemble. Other critically acclaimed performances included the Commedia dell'Arte classic Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters by Piccolo Teatro di Milano, the ancient Greek tragedy Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound by the National Theatre of Greece, and Gala Flamenca Dance - Yesterday, Today and Always. A total of 29 visiting and 18 local arts groups performed in 92 events during the four-week festival which ran from October 19 to November 18,

18, attracting more. than 75 000 people to its performances.

Hong Kong International Film Festival

Presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited, the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival offered a wide range of programmes. Awards presented during the event included the Asian Digital Competition, the Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries, the FIPRESCI Prize, the SIGNIS Award and the Fresh Wave Short Film Competition Award. More than 250 films of different categories from over 40 countries were shown during the 23-day festival. Fringe activities included talks, seminars and exhibitions.

Heritage

Lord Wilson Heritage Trust

The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust was established in 1992 to promote the preservation and conversation of Hong Kong's heritage. During the year, the trust granted around $2 million to support 15 heritage-related activities and research projects.

Museums

Hong Kong Museum of Art

In 2007, the Hong Kong Museum of Art staged 12 exhibitions six special and six permanent — showing art objects and antiques from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. The major events included three blockbuster exhibitions staged specially to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the HKSAR.

The exhibition 'A Pioneer of Modern Chinese Painting: The Art of Lin Fengmian' was the curtain-raiser of the celebration activities. It was followed immediately by a magnificent display of Chinese paintings and calligraphy never seen outside China before, entitled 'The Pride of China: Masterpieces of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy of the Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties from the Palace Museum'. The most notable exhibit in the collection was an amazing handscroll, entitled 'Along the River during the Qingming Festival' which aroused exceptional interest and attracted