More Brilliance, Still Different — The D & B Story Redux

Introduction

Founded by Dickson Poon, Sammo Hung and John Sham in 1984, D & B Films Company established its own theatre circuit the next year, realising a vertically-integrated operation and quickly joining ranks with Golden Harvest and Cinema City to become one of the film industry's Big Three. The Hong Kong Film Archive published a book and organised an exhibition on the company in 2020. This year, we are presenting a screening programme on D & B, together with another exhibition, seminars and post-screening talks, providing audiences with a deeper and wider understanding of the celebrated company.

D & B, with a short lifespan of only eight years, produced 67 films, leaving behind a number of cherished classics. One unique aspect of the company is its dedication to alternative productions. It not only offered calculated crowd-pleasers like the comedies The Return of Pom Pom (1984) and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1987) as well as actioners like Yes, Madam! series, but also works by young, unproven directors as well as films on subject matters considered less than marketable, such as The Lunatics (1986), Final Victory (1987) and An Autumn's Tale (1987). A wide variety of topics were examined, complemented by a diversity of creative approaches while forging an appeal to the sensibilities of a newly-emerged middle-class. Such forward-looking works testify to the extraordinary visions of the company and how it expanded the creative scope of Hong Kong's mostly commerce-driven film industry.

With the full support of Fortune Star Media Limited, this retrospective showcases 30 films of various genres from D & B's 67-title catalogue, including the 4K restored version of An Autumn's Tale. Several cherished classics will also be screened in 35mm format, by now a rarity.

With this sequel to our book and previous exhibition, the HKFA is sharing with the public more new information on D & B's films and filmmakers, introducing more of the company's brilliance, which is always characterised for being different.

【Free Electronic Publication】

Chinese version English version
A Different Brilliance—The D & B Story (Chinese edition) Book Cover A Different Brilliance—The D & B Story (English edition) Book Cover
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This book features oral history interviews with various filmmakers, who had served D & B Films Company at different times. They share their experiences from film production, the creative process, local cinema circuits to overseas distribution. Essays by contributing writers serve as a perfect counterpart to their accounts, which explore how D & B films reflect the socio-cultural milieu at the time and how they continue to inspire and resonate with modern audiences.

Partner Organisation:  Fortune Star Media Limited    Fortune Star Media Limited

Special gratitude goes to Fortune Star Media Limited for supplying copyrighted materials for this programme

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.

Film Screenings

Screening Schedule

Ticketing Information