'100 Must-see Hong Kong Movies', a flagship programme of the Hong Kong Film Archive (Archive), has been generating enthusiastic responses from audiences both local and international since its launch in October 2011. The selection panel of six seasoned film scholars and critics has chosen five scores of exceptional Hong Kong films from 1916 to 1999. A major goal of the programme is to promote the concept of 'film canon' as an important approach to appreciate local cinema. Most of the titles were chosen for their artistic accomplishment, but some were selected for their historical impact. Filmmakers Simon Yam and Juno Mak had served as Programme Ambassador to promote this lineup of important films.

The Archive formed a partnership with the commercial enterprise Broadway Cinematheque in 2012, screening a select number of the Must-see films with coordinated scheduling at the Archive cinema and Broadway Cinematheque, a partnership that lasted till 2016. Starting in 2016, the Archive began a collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of China, showing films from the programme at China Cultural Centers all over the world, in such locations as Sydney, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Malta, etc. In the same year, the Archive was also invited by the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing to promote Hong Kong cinema at the capital area of China, screening titles from the '100 Must-see Hong Kong Movies' at universities in Beijing and surrounding cities. All the films were presented with corresponding lectures, resulting in meaningful discussions that fostered better understanding of Hong Kong culture for students and professors alike.

Local efforts to promote the art and history of Hong Kong cinema through the Must-see films were also conducted. In 2017 and 2018, for example, the Archive screened some of the titles from the programme at the North District Town Hall. In the future, the Archive will continue with our advocation of this cherished canon of Hong Kong cinema, sharing with the audience these classics of the silver screen through different events and presentations.