Hong Kong Film Archive Treasures: An Exhibition
Introduction
The Hong Kong Film Archive has since its establishment collected over 2,000 films and 30,000 items of film-related materials. Among them there are numerous precious pieces.
'Film-related materials' are divided into four main categories: 'visual materials', which include film prints, laser discs, video tapes of interviews made with filmmakers etc; 'audio materials', which include vinyl records of film songs, film music and tapes of interviews with filmmakers etc; 'pictorial materials', which include film stills, behind-the-scene photos, stills of filmmakers etc; and 'textual materials', which include film scripts, special brochures, handbills, books, magazines, newspapers, contracts and posters etc.
The Treasures Exhibition will exhibit the items according to the above categories. All the artifacts are originals from the Film Archive. They are donations by film organizations, film personalities, collectors and film lovers; but due to the limited space in the exhibition venue, only a selection of these precious items or items deposited at the Archive for storage purpose will be displayed.
The Archive's visual collection includes valuable film prints, such as Scenes of Yan'an, made by Hong Kong filmmakers Lam Tsong and Tsui Tin-tseong in 1938; clips of A Page of History donated by the descendants of Li Minwei; and a short film of Hong Kong made by the Edison Company. As for 'audio materials', we have acquired many precious vinyl records of the earliest sound films of Hong Kong. Among our textual collection are also many rare items. The most prominent one is the first issue of the first entertainment magazine Silver Light published in 1926, not to forget the many cinema handbills.
The Exhibition also comprises four special thematic booths featuring artifacts, scripts and awards donated by Kwan Tak-hing, Chua Boon-hean, Josephine Siao and Chow Yun-fat.
To collect, preserve and research on the history of the Hong Kong cinema is an important task which serves to conclude and learn from past experiences. We hope that people or organizations who collect materials of the Hong Kong cinema will donate or deposit more of their collections to the Film Archive. Your donation will be kept in good condition for members of the public to appreciate and research on.
Yu Mo-wan
Co-ordinator, Research Section