Our mission

Distinctive Hong Kong & Asia Cinema
We champion artistically distinctive Hong Kong and wider Asian cinema — work defined by formal daring, singular voice, and a refusal to conform, that rarely reaches UK audiences. Our programming extends beyond the screen, drawing across art forms and conversation to meet the work on its own terms. Our annual nationwide festival and seasonal programmes give it the stage it deserves.

A Culture in Motion: Hong Kong to the UK
Hong Kong's history — colonization, upheaval — runs through everything the city has made of itself. HKFF doesn't just illuminate that history; we carry it forward, sharing it with audiences beyond Hong Kong.
Our programming sits at the intersection of culture, history and politics. We showcase work that traces the lives of those who lived through these turning points — stories that speak to change, community, and resilience.

Voices of the Times: Championing Emerging Directors
We look for films that capture the moment — work that speaks to now and will still resonate later, films that provoke self-reflection and shape future storytellers. We curate deliberately for filmmakers at the start of their careers, giving them a platform for their perspective and a community that backs their development.

A Plural Diaspora
Recent years have brought a new wave of migration from Hong Kong to the UK, bringing new visibility — and new vulnerability.  We hold space for these stories through art, connecting Hong Kong and diasporic culture with established UK communities — building understanding between newcomers and locals, and among migrant communities themselves. Through our screenings and programmes, we draw out a plural diasporic sensibility in Hong Kong and wider Asia cinema — one that opens up new ways as well as questions of belonging.