Generations of filmgoers around the world associate Hong Kong cinema with action spectacles. Hong Kong Stories: Lives in Transition — an ongoing program hosted by Kino, a cinema in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam — is aimed at introducing a wider range of stories from the city to a European audience.  

Kino Marketing Director and Film Programmer Züleyha Azman says, “When it comes to Hong Kong films, audiences here are already familiar with the city’s iconic action cinema, through filmmakers such as John Woo and Ringo Lam, as well as the romantic art-house films of Wong Kar-wai, which are very popular here. But there is so much more to Hong Kong cinema than these directors and genres.”

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The festival, which kicked off on Oct 9, features 15 films from the ’80s to the late 2010s. The program brings together internationally acclaimed classics and lesser-known works that reflect different aspects of Hong Kong life and society across four decades.

“As a programmer, I am particularly interested in using cinema as a way of understanding what is happening in a country or city, and in exploring what we can learn about a place through the films it produces,” Azman says.

The season opened with an exhibition of Greg Girard’s photos of Hong Kong in the ’80s — a time in which several of the festival films are set — followed by a screening of Benny Chan Muk-sing’s A Moment of Romance (1990), a landmark of Hong Kong popular cinema.

The program spans a wide range of cinematic styles, from action and romance to character-driven dramas and coming-of-age stories, reflecting the creativity and versatility of Hong Kong filmmakers across different generations.

Alongside audience favorites such as Stanley Kwan Kam-pang’s Rouge (1987), Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express (1994) and Infernal Affairs (2002), made by Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak Siu-fai, the less familiar fare includes Patrick Tam Ka-ming’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989) and Ann Hui On-wah’s A Simple Life (2011).

Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, the program is part of ongoing efforts to promote cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Europe. The partnership enabled Kino to screen 15 films and support ancillary activities, including film introductions by guest speakers and attendees getting a chance to engage in postscreening conversations over drinks, served by the Hong Kong-inspired cafe Fortune.

Growing interest

Interest in Asian cinema continues to grow in the Netherlands, with film festivals such as CinemAsia and Camera Japan attracting dedicated audiences across the country. Independent initiatives like Asian Movie Night and Diaspora East Cinema showcase Asian cinema through curated screenings and community events. International Film Festival Rotterdam has played an important role in introducing Hong Kong cinema to European audiences, screening works by both established and emerging filmmakers. Contemporary Asian releases regularly figure in Kino’s year-round program, with recent screenings of Dear You (2026) — a box-office success on the Chinese mainland — drawing large crowds.

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As Hong Kong films continue to find audiences all around the world, Azman hopes that the Kino program will encourage viewers to revisit familiar classics while discovering new perspectives on the city.

“I hope they will first and foremost enjoy the films we are screening, and perhaps even be inspired to dive deeper into the filmographies of the directors and actors featured in the program,” she says. “But I also hope that the films will give audience members a broader perspective on Hong Kong and its people and perhaps challenge some of the ideas they already have about the city.”

If you go

Kino presents: Hong Kong Stories: Lives in Transition

Dates: Through Jan 8

Venue: KINO Rotterdam, Gouvernestraat 129-133, 3014 PM Rotterdam, Netherlands

https://kinorotterdam.nl/special/hongkongstories/

The writer is a freelance contributor to China Daily.