Hong Kong's independent film festival kicks off Friday with a line-up that reflects the ever-changing landscape of China's booming cinema industry, on track to become the world's second biggest box-office earner in five years.
The seventh annual Hong Kong Asian Film Festival features more than 60 independently-made films from across Asia, but this year it will shine a spotlight on the work of Chinese directors, organisers said.
"Mainland Chinese films are the focus of this year's festival," festival director Gary Mak told AFP.
The festival, which runs to November 8, will show a range of Chinese films, from first-time director Zhang Meng's "The Piano in the Factory" and Wu Ershan's offbeat kung fu comedy "The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman" to a festival favourite, the Shanghai documentary "I Wish I Knew" by award-winning director Jia Zhangke.
The festival will also pay tribute to the Japanese anime director Satoshi Kon, who died in August. It will screen four of his best-known works, including "Paprika", which is said to have influenced Christopher Nolan's 2010 thriller "Inception", starring Leonardo DiCaprio.-AFP
