Cool flicks to watch this summer

Wilting in the summer heat? Might we tempt you with an eclectic range of films lined up by The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. These names might just be the persuasion you need to step out for a dose of entertainment. Action thrillers, restored classics, awardwinning titles fresh from screenings at world-class film festivals — the list covers quite a range.

More than 30 films feature in the current edition of Summer International Film Festival, to be screened in over 10 theaters in the second half of August. The festival opens with Hong Kong director Wilson Yip Wai-shun’s Paradox — the latest installment of his martial arts crime thriller series SPL. Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s meditative final film, 24 Frames, will bring the curtains down on the festival.

Other highlights include the restored versions of Derek Yee’s 1993 film, C’est la Vie, Mon Cheri and Peter Chan’s 1996 look at the themes of migration and displacement in Comrades: Almost a Love Story (picture). Ever-popular Hollywood comedy classics featuring Buster Keaton and Monty Python also figure.

Also this might be your chance to catch a slew of new titles expected to release in Hong Kong cinemas next year. These include Shed Skin Papa, adapted from the local stage production, the Anne Hathaway monster film Colossal and Aki Kaurismäki’s story about Syrian refugees, The Other Side of Hope.

Scary spice

Catherine Grossrieder’s cartoon graffiti, featuring fried chicken and female bodies, is on display this month. The artist’s take on contemporary urban life is expressed through an intense juxtaposition of fast food and suggestiveness. Born in Bangkok, Grossrieder has lived in Hackney in London. The street cultures of both places inform the work of this currently Hong Kong-based artist who believes in turning her surroundings into a surrealist visual commentary on contemporary society.

Date: Aug 10-31

Venue: Over the Influence Gallery

1/F, 159-163 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan http://overtheinfluence.com/exhibitions/greater-china-summer-program-reach-6th-29th-july-catherine-grossrieder-20th31st-august/