Hong Kong Book Fair to feature film and TV literature

A visitor browses books at the press conference of the 34th Hong Kong Book Fair on June 25 in Hong Kong. China News Service

The 34th Hong Kong Book Fair, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held from July 17 to 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

Sophia Chong, deputy executive director of the HKTDC, said that this year’s book fair will be themed on film and television literature, with the tagline “Reading the World: Storytelling From Page to Screen,” aimed at encouraging more locals and tourists to discover the joy of reading and appreciate the charm of Hong Kong’s literary, film and television works, thus helping shape Hong Kong into an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange.

The book fair will stage more than 600 cultural events onsite and off-site, including acclaimed writers’ seminars and book launches to help promote a stronger reading culture in Hong Kong. Featured activities will include the Art Gallery, World of Art & Culture, the International Publishing Forum and the debut of IP Roundtable.

The Art Gallery will exhibit a wide range of works from the featured writers of the year, including Erica Li, Raymond To, Joyce Chan, Norris Wong, Chiang Hiu Mei, and Law Kar, highlighting their publications, manuscripts, awards, and movie props. Most of them will attend the book fair to engage with visitors.

The Art Gallery has two other exhibition areas, namely Featured Directors and Classic Literary Adaptations. The former showcases selected works by directors such as Wong Kar-wai, Ho Cheuk-tin, Nick Cheuk, Tsui Hark, Ann Hui and Stanley Kwan; while the latter highlights original novels by writers like Yi Shu, Lilian Lee, Jin Yong and Eileen Chang, along with selected clips, posters, e-books and theme songs from respective film adaptations.

To guide readers in exploring the world through Hong Kong, the book fair has set up the World of Art & Culture, promoting cultural exchange through displaying exhibits from across the globe. In addition to creations from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the zone will also feature film and television literature from Argentina, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Spain and Switzerland, Vietnam and more.

Echoing this year’s fair theme, the World of Art & Culture features an AI-powered interactive installation. Visitors can select keywords to recompose iconic scenes from global films and TV shows, including “In the Mood for Love,” “Kung Fu Hustle,” “Blade Runner” and “Spirited Away.” Additionally, an interactive map will display filming locations and behind-the-scenes details.

This year, the book fair will feature a mainland publishers zone with Beijing as the thematic city, demonstrating the cultural allure of the nation’s capital. The book fair will also host an IP Roundtable for the first time July 18, inviting representatives from the international publishing and copyright industries to discuss the challenges and opportunities that AI is bringing to IP and copyright commercialization.

The book fair will continue to feature the Eight Seminar Series, with authors invited to share and exchange ideas. One seminar has invited Yuyi, the author of the original novel “City of Darkness,” which was adapted into the hit movie “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” to share his creative journey and the process of adapting the story into comics and a film, as well as the challenges he encountered along the way.

The Renowned Writers Seminar Series will invite heavyweight Chinese-language writers to speak at the fair. The lineup includes Su Tong, a pioneer of Chinese avant-garde fiction; Jin Yucheng, who won the Lu Xun Literary Award for his novel “Blossoms Shanghai”; and Ban Yu, one of the three trailblazers of the Northeast China renaissance.

Global authors to grace the English and International Reading Seminar Series include British scholar Christopher Cowell, who explores the relationship between architecture and urban cultural history; renowned Czech illustrator and animation director Galina Miklínová; South Korean writer Mirinae Lee, who has been shortlisted for a women’s fiction award and more; and Thai author Narisapongse Rakwattananont, recipient of the Southeast Asian Literature Award.

Speakers at other seminars include business management expert, writer and poet Feng Tang; aerospace expert Lui Kin-Chuen; and local lyricist scholar Chu Yiu-wai. The Story Sharing by Celebrities session will feature singer Serrini, CUHK Medical School Associate Dean Dr. Teoh Yuen-chun, renowned pianist Lee Ka-ling, and Ngong Ping 360 Managing Director Tung Pui-chuen.

The book fair will run concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo and HKTDC Hong Kong World of Snacks at the same venue. The Sports and Leisure Expo will feature an installation to cheer on Hong Kong’s athletes at the Paris Olympics, while the World of Snacks offers more than 1,200 snacks.

With a single ticket, visitors can immerse themselves in the worlds of literature, sports and leisure activities and global snacks, with some 760 exhibitors across the three fairs.

The ticket price for adults is HK$30 (US$3.84), with HK$10 for children and various discounts available. Children under the age of 3 and seniors above the age of 65 can enter for free.