EVENT DESCRIPTION
M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, announces the M+ Cinema Spring Edition, running from April to June 2025.
Spring Edition Highlights
M+ Cinema showcases pioneering and iconic moving image works as part of the museum’s focus on contemporary visual culture. In dialogue with the Special Exhibition The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation, three documentaries explore Pablo Picasso and his artistic community. With the launch of M+ Restored, a new initiative restoring films from the Hong Kong New Wave, premieres its first title with The System (1979) by Peter Yung, presented in collaboration with the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). The screening will be accompanied by a roundtable discussion on restoring Chinese-language cinema. Special screenings of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers (2025) examine how human experiences can be captured and expressed through new narratives and art forms. Stair in the Dark revisits Hollywood’s divisive yet beloved cult classics, including Twilight (2008) and Showgirls (1995).
Details of the M+ Cinema Spring Edition are as follows:
- Jockey Club Community Outreach and Arts Education Programmes: Picasso on Film—The Making of an Icon
Complementing the opening of the Special Exhibition The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation in March, this series features a selection of films including The Mystery of Picasso (1956) by Henri-Georges Clouzot, On the French Riviera with Man Ray and Picasso (2021) by François Lévy-Kuentz, Guernica (1950) by Alain Resnais and Robert Hessens, and the short animation Minotauromaquia (2004) by Juan Pablo Etcheverry. Intimately framed through the lens of his friends, these films examine Picasso’s creative life within his artistic community and how he crafted his image for a global audience. The programmes are exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
- M+ × Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) Co-Presentation
The world premiere of the first M+ Restored film, The System (1979) by pioneering Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Yung, will be one of the three special programmes at HKIFF. The other two programmes will be the latest film by artist-filmmaker Trương Minh Quý, Viet and Nam (2024), and a roundtable discussion on the restoration of Chinese-language cinema, which will feature representatives from local and international institutions.
M+ Restored is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to preserving Hong Kong’s rich cinematic heritage by restoring nine feature-length films. Launched in July 2023 as part of a three-year partnership between M+ and CHANEL, this project celebrates the creative experimentation and technical innovation of the Hong Kong New Wave, a film movement which emerged from 1979.
- Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival 2025: Time Will Tell
The second edition of the Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival will take place from Friday, 30 May to Sunday, 1 June 2025. This vibrant three-day celebration will showcase the diverse, independent moving image practices that have shaped Asia’s artistic landscape over the past six decades. This edition will explore notions of time as a subject matter and material for experimental filmmaking. The line-up includes artists and filmmakers May Fung, Ho Tzu Nyen, Tehching Hsieh, Amar Kanwar, Wong Kit Yi, and Chikako Yamashiro, who will participate in screenings, performances, talks, and workshops. Screenings will feature rarely seen works that have been recently added to the Asian Avant-Garde Film Circulation Library at M+. The first and only one of its kind in Asia, the library preserves and promotes the legacy of Asian experimental film and video art.
- Rediscoveries
Rediscoveries brings back forgotten gems and restored classics. Directed by Tarsem Singh, The Cell (2000) is a visual feast starring Jennifer Lopez as a psychologist diving deep into the mind of a serial killer. The City of Lost Children (1995) by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet tells the story of a mad genius who steals the dreams of children to stop himself from ageing. The film’s exceptional practical effects and unique style continue to impress thirty years after its release.
- Previews: Sing Sing (2023) and A Different Man (2024)
M+ Cinema’s Spring Edition presents some of the latest film releases in Hong Kong. The Oscar-nominated Sing Sing (2023), directed by Greg Kwedar, explores how participation in theatre has transformed the lives of prison inmates, highlighting the redemptive power of the arts. A Different Man (2024) by Aaron Schimberg is a dark comedy about an aspiring actor who receives a miracle cure for his facial disfigurement, only to be upstaged by a charismatic man with the same condition.
- Special Screenings: Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers (2025)
Jennifer Baichwal’s Manufactured Landscapes (2006) follows artist Edward Burtynsky as he travels through China, capturing the devastating environmental impact of its industrial revolution. The film offers a layered portrait of a changing planet and a fresh perspective on humanity and the world. Amélie Ravalec’s new Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers (2025) features trailblazers such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Daidō Moriyama, Eikoh Hosoe, Tanaami Keiichi, and Yokoo Tadanori, offering insights into this radical group of creatives who transformed photography, graphic design, theatre, performance art, dance, and film amid post-war Japan’s political upheaval. This electrifying new documentary sets the stage for M+’s Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival in May.
- Fresh Eyes
This recurring series invites young audiences into the enchanting world of animation. The visually stunning Wolfwalkers (2020) by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart follows a girl in an Irish village as she befriends a magical wolfwalker. The film explores themes of overprotection, insecurity, and betrayal, elevating it beyond typical children’s movies. In Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai (2018), a young boy embarks on a time-traveling adventure with his dog and future sister, delving into the complexities of children’s emotions and family relationships. Fresh Eyes provides a comfortable viewing experience for children, with concession tickets priced at just HKD 25.
- Stair in the Dark: Dissonant Pleasures
This edition highlights some of the most critically loathed Hollywood films that have nevertheless made a comeback in recent years. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Twilight (2008) faced criticism for the film’s questionable romance and cringeworthy performances of the main cast. However, after seventeen years, people are revisiting its cultural impact. Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls(1995), initially a failure, has become a cult favourite for its campy charm.
