High school teacher Cheng looks back to his repressed childhood memories, as he finds an anonymous suicide note in the classroom. He strives hard to prevent another tragedy from happening, meanwhile facing a series of family problems, his wife is divorcing him, and his father is dying.
After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.
Also tagged domestic abuse
The tight-knit Garvey sisters have always looked out for one another. But when the toxic brother-in-law they all wanted dead actually dies, it turns their lives upside down and tests their bond like nothing before.
Also tagged domestic abuse
12-year-old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids, and Bailey, who is approaching puberty, seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Also tagged domestic abuse
Stockholm, in the 1950s. Erik is expelled from the local school for getting into one brawl too many. To protect Erik from his violent stepfather’s reaction to his expulsion, Erik's mother arranges for Erik to spend a year at Stjärnsberg Boarding School, the only school willing to accept him. This is Erik's last chance to graduate to Upper School and he promises his mother, for his and her sake, to do all he can to stay out of trouble.
Also tagged domestic abuse
A new caretaker moves with his family into the mysterious Overlook Hotel for the winter.
Also tagged domestic abuse
The tale of three mothers of first graders whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.
Also tagged domestic abuse
A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.
Also tagged domestic abuse
Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.
Also tagged suicide
Retired porn star Milos leads a normal family life trying to make ends meet. Presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to financially support his family for the rest of their lives, Milos must participate in one last mysterious film. From then on, Milos is drawn into a maelstrom of unbelievable cruelty and mayhem.
Also tagged suicide
Four years after defeating The Grabber, Finney Blake is struggling with life after captivity. When his younger sister Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the Black Phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp, the siblings become determined to solve the mystery and confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.
Also tagged domestic abuse
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a 1996 serial adaptation of Anne Brontë's novel of the same name, produced by the BBC. A mysterious young woman arrives at Wildfell Hall, an old house of the Elizabethan era, with a young son. She is determined to lead an independent existence, but her new neighbours do not want to leave her alone. Only one of them, a young farmer, succeeds in finding her secrets.
Also tagged domestic abuse
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
Also tagged escaped prisoner
This classic Australian mini series was originally broadcast in 1989 as three 90 minute episodes and tells the story of a young woman who goes in search of the father she has never known. Her search takes her from Australia to England and then on to Bangkok. There she meets up with a charming young man, Arkie Regan, who plants drugs in her luggage and leaves her to her fate when the authorities find them during a routine search at the airport. Following her imprisonment in the notorious Bangkok Hilton prison she awaits the decision of the authorities on whether she should face the death penalty.
Also tagged prison escape
Miren goes to the police station with her lawyer and denounces her husband for continuous rape during a marriage, perfect for everyone who knows them, which has lasted more than 30 years. Her husband claims not to have done anything wrong and feels a victim, outraged and wronged. Their eldest son decides to support his father because he himself is afraid of having crossed that line. Their youngest son decides to support his mother because he has also felt that invisible violence.
Also tagged domestic abuse
A small town family is torn apart by a brutal crime. As they deal with the fallout an eerie mist rolls in, suddenly cutting them off from the rest of the world, and in some cases, each other.
Also tagged suicide
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Also tagged suicide
A former Army Ranger and struggling father turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname "Roofman." After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.
Also tagged escaped prisoner
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Joel 'Laz' Lazarus is forced to confront long-buried demons after his father Dr L dies in suspicious circumstances. At first assured his dad's death is a suicide, Laz is soon sucked into a world of murderous conspiracy, and a race to find the killer, by strange visions of people he knows to be dead.
Also tagged suicide
The once-glamourous Club EJ suddenly experiences a hostile takeover. Much like the nightclub industry, the glory days are over for the club’s manager, despite having stood tall in East Tsim Sha Tsui for decades. To make matters worse, the new CEO is none other than his cutthroat ex-wife.
When a Hong Kong police negotiator is informed about the sudden disappearance of his 16-year-old daughter in Thailand, he travels there to search for her whereabouts.
Despite the pandemic sending most industries into recession, debt-ridden wedding planner Dominic (Dayo WONG) gets a miraculous chance to turn things around when a funeral planner retires and passes the baton to him. His creative gimmicks for funerals help his business find unexpected success, but Dominic’s biggest obstacle is winning the approval of respected and sternly traditional Taoist priest, Master Man (Michael HUI). After some unordinary funerals, Dominic gradually understands Master Man’s code of ethics and the meaning behind each farewell.
Nick Cheuk’s student short, featured in the 35th HKIFF
A career-long undercover Hong Kong cop is sent to Mainland China when his former protégé becomes the primary suspect in a murder.
After her father died, a Hong Kong girl discovers she has two hitherto unknown sisters, one in Taiwan and one in China. To settle her father's debt, she must reunite with them to run the family's hot pot restaurant.
A decade ago, Cheung Lek was the brightest rising boxing star—known as “Golden Boy”—until a tragic incident stripped him of his freedom. Ten years later, released from prison, he comes face to face with Fong Yuen, the son he has never met. To claim the inheritance left by Fong Yuen’s mother, Cheung must learn to live with and take care of the boy. Thrust into fatherhood and confronted by past regrets, Cheung’s life is turned upside down once more. Through conflict and gradual reconciliation with his son, he begins to understand his true purpose. Confronting the ghosts of his past, Cheung decides to return to the ring—not only to reclaim his dream, but to become the role model his son deserves.
When a human head is discovered, the paths of a female student, a cellist, an autistic teenager, a police officer, a prostitute, a teacher and a dog are found to be serendipitously entwined. Who caused the death? What is the motive? Where is the body? Attempts to answer these questions lead to keywords starting with the letter "G". As the case is peeled back layer by layer, the complexity and desperation of the people living in Hong Kong today are slowly uncovered, and a suspenseful multifarious Hong Kong story is revealed.
High school student Faye leads a lonesome life, being bullied at school and her family living abroad. She keeps a distance from people, including her classmate Yiu whom she secretly admires. Yearning for love and desperate to break away from her mundane life, Faye becomes a part-time girlfriend named “Sushi”. A delicate dish on the sushi conveyor belt, Faye is coveted and manipulated by the assortment of men who seek her services. Her life is further complicated when Yiu suddenly confesses his affection for her on the phone. Navigating the tumultuous journey of love, will Faye finally be able to lift herself up, take the lead and find her way?
Working as a prostitute since she was 16, Kam has witnessed the highs and lows of Hong Kong over the decades. Kamis now a “madam” who manages a stable of high-end prostitutes, entertaining and hosting parties for rich men. She has seen it all. On the surface she embraces the prosperity of the ‘New HK’ but like countless middle-class HK citizens, she laments the lossof the old Hong Kong that once belonged to the people. Over the hill mob boss, Gordon, was put behind bars before the Hong Kong Handover in 1997. Gordon’s appearance and mindset are still stuck in the colonial past. Recently released from prison, he is unable to cope with the New Hong Kong. His sole source of solace is his old flame, Kam.
The understanding of time is dependable to the person’s perception. For elders, the seemingly overdued life experiences were their golden ages. This is a life story of an individual in highspeed. Beginning as an infant, the elder was like any of us, who was young and was beaten by his mom, experienced his first love, out of love, holding someone’s hand for the first time, feeling the warmth while holding his first born… And the one who lives with him all along might be his "pair".
Veteran detective Cham works with rookie cop Will to hunt down the city's serial killer. The investigation leads them to a lair littered with dismembered female limbs, and an ex-con who killed Cham's wife and child years ago...
The long-awaited director’s cut, with 30 minutes of unrevealed and breathtaking highlights! The year is 2012. The once-glamourous Club EJ suddenly experiences a hostile takeover. Much like the nightclub industry, the glory days are over for the club’s manager, Foon (Dayo Wong), despite having stood tall in East Tsim Sha Tsui for decades. To make things worse for Foon, the club’s new CEO is none other than his cutthroat ex-wife, Madame V (Sammi Cheng)! Determined to change things up, she leaves Foon and his hostesses with no choice but to transform and modernize in order to breathe new life into their business. Little do they know, a powerful conglomerate has been pulling the strings all along to shut down Club EJ for good. To save their neon empire, Foon and V must join forces and make an epic last stand with the hostesses against what seems to be inevitable doom.
In the early spring of 2021, a man and a woman flew to Hong Kong at the same time, and while waiting to enter the mainland, they stayed in the same hotel, separated by a wall. During the short intersection of their lives, the two confided in each other about the pressure they were burdened with and found a spiritual harbor in Hong Kong, where tenacious vitality was blooming. And before the answer is revealed, the choice stops abruptly.
While trying to keep his struggling business afloat, a chef goes on a dating app in search of Zelda, his crush from his chatroom days as a teenager. For each Zelda he meets, he makes a tailor-made meal to fit their story. Putting a spotlight on the city’s struggling restaurant sector, indie filmmaker Amos WHY and his co-director Frankie Chung’s unconventional and bittersweet road movie follows a rootless man who turns to his memories to avoid confronting his unknown future. Is it better to drift with uncertainty, or to stay in your comfort zone whilst tethered to a sinking ship?
This long-awaited biopic provides a vivid account of the remarkable life of Anita Mui in and behind the limelight, chronicling her journey from a child performer to becoming one of world's most recognized music icons.
An exorcist heir and an immortal from the Blood Tribe cross paths during an investigation, uncovering past-life entanglements while uniting to stop a powerful villain’s plan to take over the world.
In Asia, a mysterious assassin organization operates under the guise of a noodle shop hidden in a bustling city, serving as a haven for killers. Assassin No. 4, orphaned at a young age and raised in the noodle shop, is sent to Japan to eliminate a yakuza boss. However, he is unexpectedly ambushed by his client, a Japanese girl seeking revenge. To exact her vengeance, she spares no expense in hiring the assassin and attempts to enlist No. 4 in her grand revenge plan, only for their actions to inadvertently provoke a relentless pursuit by the yakuza, putting both their lives in danger...
Kwan believes that she is unique. Enclosed in solitude within her own literary world and deprived of affections from her family, she longs for love in whatever form it takes - no matter how distorted. She considers the detention class with Mr Cheung a shelter from the world, until it is shattered together with all her hopes. She finally comes to the realisation that it is the world that goes against her. There is no hiding place for her no matter how hard she struggles……
On, a primary school boy, seeks guidance from a Chinese chess scammer, who sets up endgames in the park. The two lonely souls find solace in their mentorship as they lie their ways out.
When Lok's estranged father passed away, he left nothing but an ice cream motorcycle. Lok doesn't know how to ride one, so he has no way but to walk alongside it. During his trip, not only does Lok get to know more about his father, but it also leads him to reflect on his relationship with his son.
For his project under the lauded First Feature Film Initiative programme, director Ka Sing-fung tells the heartrending journey of a woman whose life is forever changed by the children she takes in as a temporary foster carer. In a career-best performance, Sammi Cheng stars as Mei, a woman trying to get over the death of her young son through the children she welcomes into her home. Each ward offers Mei a different challenge and a newfound appreciation for the difficulties of motherhood, but when her dedication to the job causes her marriage to turn sour, Mei is forced to make a choice.
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Shared themes · Viewers also picked
When a Hong Kong police negotiator is informed about the sudden disappearance of his 16-year-old daughter in Thailand, he travels there to search for her whereabouts.
Shares a lead actor · Same director
Nick Cheuk’s student short, featured in the 35th HKIFF
Shares a lead actor · Same director
Kai—an outcast—joins Oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honour to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.
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A successful lawyer, with a new wife and infant, agrees to care for his teenage son from a previous marriage after his ex-wife becomes concerned about the boy's wayward behavior.
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After losing his son in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, a disillusioned old man chooses to stay silent and block out the noises of political bickering in the city. After all, nothing anyone does ever seem to make any difference. With the quick deterioration of freedom in Hong Kong, how much longer can the old man choose to stay silent before the oppression becomes too much? Amidst the noises from all sides, which side should we listen to, or should we simply stay apathetic and block out the noise altogether?
Shares 4 cast members · Same director
Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding.
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James White is a troubled twentysomething trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. As he retreats further into a hedonistic lifestyle, his mother's battle with a serious illness faces a series of setbacks that force him to assume more responsibility. With the pressure on him mounting, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely.
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Evan Hansen, a high schooler with social anxiety, unintentionally gets caught up in a lie after the family of a classmate who committed suicide mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their son’s suicide note.
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The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
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In 1980s Hong Kong, troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun, a mainland refugee, struggles to survive in the Kowloon Walled City by joining underground fights. Betrayed by crime boss Mr. Big while trying to buy a fake ID, he steals drugs from him and seeks refuge in the Walled City, where he encounters Cyclone, a compassionate yet authoritative crime lord.
A massive explosion and shootout in snowy Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, reveals a pharmaceutical heir's plot. His father's death in hospital triggers a drug war, destabilizing both legitimate and criminal worlds.
The Yau Tsim Mong area, the core commercial area of Hong Kong, has recently experienced a series of robberies. Many jewelry stores in the area have been ransacked by gangsters. Police unit is given the mission to take the gangsters into a custody, but the operation is not so easy.
The four constables Emotionless, Iron Hands , Life Snatcher and ColdBlood are specially skilled in their own individual super powers. When the four constables of the Divine Constabulary investigate a murder in the suburbs, they unexpectedly stumble on clues to the murder of Emotionless's family 15 years ago.
An assassin who is fresh from his latest kill becomes stranded in an island, when he inadvertently befriends a female police officer. As the night progresses, the unspoken truth honored by the two sides of the law is broken. After the remains of a body that belonged to a drug lord and syndicate crime leader are found, chaos ensues and criminals ravage the once peaceful streets in a race against time to find the mysterious murderer that's loose and out for blood.
The reputation of the Four constables survives, but since Emotionless’s departure, there have been changes at the Divine Constabulary. The four Coldblood, Iron Hands, Life Snatcher, rescue Zhuge Zhengwo from An Yunshan’s mountain fortress, then with the Emperor and Di armies, they attack. But An Yunshan absorbs their power, which means the constables and their allies now face their most lethal opponent yet, a nearly invincible kung fu master who won’t stop until he has absolute power...
A young man learns the fighting techniques of Sanda from a coach. The two become best friends as the young man prepares to enter an underground tournament, competing against some of the top fighters of the world.
A renowned charity foundation is holding its annual charity party. It’s a glamourous meeting of the foundation’s friends, associates and the city’s most elite socialites. Just as foundation chairman Ko Shing Man is about to give his annual speech to the attendees, Yeung To – the foundation’s chief financial officer - suddenly hangs to his death on the stage. As suspicions surround Yeung’s death, rumors of a missing $200 million charitable donation begin to run rampant, attracting the attention of the masses. The mystery brings barrister Ma Ying Fung and police officer Or Ting Bong together as they form a temporary partnership to uncover the truth behind the foundation’s dealings. Can they expose all the dark truths behind the foundation’s wrongdoings and restore justice?
Top agent Mr. Chan (Dayo Wong) suddenly finds himself removed from duties after his partner Wonder Child unintentionally offends a policewoman, Ms. Shek. But when a financial officer goes crazy due to drugs, Mr. Chan is called back in to solve the case, which he accepts even though this means partnering up with Ms. Shek. The two have some ups and downs while working together, eventually leading to romance.
Struggling movie producer To Wai-chen needs money for child support, so he reluctantly agrees to film a softcore remake of a Chinese classic.
Yip is attractive but for some strange reason, no man has ever been interested in her. Yip meets Lai, a famous feng shui expert and she thinks that Lai can change her luck. But Duen, also a famous feng shui expert continually cast all kinds of spells on Yip. A fierce battle of feng shui and horoscope techniques ensues. Will Lai and Yip live happily afterwards?
A helpless woman confronts a “black object” with a power greater than hers. The “black object” shoots her questions. The woman has answers to these questions, but can’t say them aloud. She feels up against the wall, and begins to throw up beautiful colorful flowers instead of speaking.
A pair of slackers are forced to put aside their childish ways when a zombie outbreak makes its way to their small town.
Heung Wing has been sensitive to paranormal activity and keeps seeing ghosts since he was a kid. One day, Heung Wing receives news that his mother is in coma after committing suicide, which forces him to return to the old home. Everything seems strange and weird.
A night delivery man meets a woman who works in a publishing house. He helps her deliver books to a warehouse during rainy days, and in each encounter an endearing bond forms between them.
The story revolves around three couples dealing with accidental pregnancy, unfaithfulness, and planning a wedding with a meddling Mother-In-Law. Will they call it quits or remember why they fell in love in the first place?
PILLARS is a heartfelt antidote to the stereotypes in social media that shape our identities and experiences today. The film inspects different elements of mise-en-scène through the viewfinder to reveal the ways we entertain ourselves in Hong Kong’s bustling landscape. Zooming into the live streams of eight sets of characters of diverse ages and from different backgrounds, the intertwined narratives are centred on the archetypal and performative moments in people’s lives and illuminate the role we play as architects of our own identities and realities.
When Eva ends her ten-year relationship with Adam, he’s shocked by the sudden break-up, not until he read her private journal did he realize that she has suffered 77 heartbreaks. Though unknown to the secret contained in the journal’s torn-out last page, he is determined to win her back. When they finally resolve to start anew, Eva discovers his drunken tryst. Will she pardon him a 78th time?
A 28-year-old I.T. geek suddenly finds himself the object of affection for five attractive women within the same year. The quintet share virtually no similar traits except one quirky thing: they all live in remote corners of Hong Kong.
A young couple enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the city. Every time See would give Pong a little clue to catch her in the crowd by 3 am. Perhaps this is just a rehearsal for bidding farewell – to create some good memories before losing each other. After losing her, he would still look around to search for those familiar scenes and discover some new sceneries he has overlooked.
A group of residents in an apartment block attempt to smuggle a body out of their building to prevent their properties dropping in value.
One of the Angels of Death comes to the Earth in order to take the 25-years-old Komachi. Desperately trying to escape from her unfortunate destiny, the young girl makes up a pregnancy and begs him to deceive the Underworld and take another 25 years-old Komachi, who is friend of hers. Death falls in love with two women and has to come to terms with itself, in this story that takes inspiration from a Japanese classic, here set in a misterious and seductive Hong Kong, shown over the course of decades.
