PMQ MOVIE LAB x Walk in Hong Kong【To Be Continued】@docu_to.be.continued Community Screening

▶︎【To Be Continued】 Community Screening

── Synopsis ──
Convenient, tired and vapid, ‘East-meets-West’ is a cliché that has for decades been used to sell the ‘Hong Kong story’ to the world. Yet in the forgotten legend of Harry Odell, Hong Kong’s first impresario, a rediscovery of the city’s soul awaits.

Flamboyant and cigar-chomping, Odell was a Cairo-born, Shanghai-bred Russian Jew who stamped his mark on the cultural life of post-war Hong Kong. His hopeful, if chronically loss-making adventures pushed the cultural frontiers of his adopted home, capturing the open, dynamic and inclusive spirit of a bygone era to leave a legacy that resonates to this day. What began as a conservation campaign to save the iconic State Theatre in Hong Kong morphed into five years of research and interviews with those who witnessed Odell in action. The result: a film that is as much a study of one indomitable pioneer as it is a soul-searching journey of what defines Hong Kong.

── Screening Details ──
Date & 8 October 2023 (Sunday)
Time: 14:30 – 16:00 (Full)
Time: 20:00 – 21:30
RSVP: https://pmq.hk/T3YUC

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▶︎ Post-Screening Sharing

❝ One interviewee in the film said that Hong Kong was experiencing first love in the 1950s, just as this documentary is a love letter to my homeland.❞ —— Director Dora Choi

❝Hollywood Road was the stage of my childhood memories: the stone steps, steep lanes, antique dealers and the smell of cumin in the air. I also grew up listening to the tales my mother told about lost theatres in Yau Ma Tei – this planted in me a fascination with the forgotten stories of old Hong Kong. Through the legendary story of Harry Odell, I hope to rediscover the spirit of this land with you.❞ —— Director Haider Kikabhoy

Directors will share their journey from the fight in preserving the former State Theatre (previously as Empire Theatre) to the search of the life story of its founder Harry Odell, Hong Kong’s first impresario, who has long been forgotten. They will also talk about how they managed a profound number of historical clips, archives, interviews and images in an intriguing way of storytelling. Curious about the making of such evocative documentary? Come and meet the directors!

Date & Time: 8 October 2023 (Sunday) | 16:00 – 17:00
Language：Cantonese
Speakers: Dora Choi & Haider Kikabhoy

[Know more about Co-organizer: Walk in Hong Kong / Hong Kong Community Heritage Foundation ]

Website: Walk in Hong Kong
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WalkInHongKong
Instagram: Walk in Hong Kong @walk.in.hong.kong / Hong Kong Community Heritage Foundation @hkcommunityheritage