The 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival () took place from 1 to 12 April 2026. HKIFF selected Jia Zhangke as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and featured masterclasses led by Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin, Tsai Ming-liang, and Ann Hui.
The festival opened with the Singaporean drama film We Are All Strangers by Anthony Chen, and closed with the Hong Kong drama film Cyclone by Philip Yung. This year, 215 films from 71 countries were screened, including 11 world premieres, four international premieres, and 49 Asian premieres. Angela Yuen, the ambassador of the 49th edition, returned alongside newcomer Tony Wu as the ambassador for this edition of the HKIFF, while Thai actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn and Taiwanese actress Gingle Wang were named Asian Visionary ambassadors.
Background The theme of the 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival is "50 and Beyond: Framing the Future". The festival's poster was designed by Hong Kong comic artist and lyricist , which combines Hong Kong's landscape and imageries, such as UFOs, rockets, chimneys, and neon lights, representing "the film festival's imagination and exploration of the future". On 9 January 2026, Angela Yuen, the ambassador of the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival, was announced to return as the ambassador, joining newcomer Tony Wu. To celebrate its golden jubilee, Thai actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn and Taiwanese actress Gingle Wang were named Asian Visionary ambassadors, joining Yuen and Wu in promoting film culture during the festival. Also to celebrate the 50th anniversary, a live concert featuring soundtracks from Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love (2000), performed by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, was announced to take place on 2 and 3 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. "50 and Beyond: The Hong Kong International Film Festival Golden Jubilee Exhibition", a free exhibition of archival materials, photographs, and footage on international cinema, was also held at Hong Kong City Hall. Lee explained that they chose City Hall as the venue because it was the location of the 1st Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1977.
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke was revealed as the Filmmaker in Focus for the festival on 29 January. Albert Lee, the executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, explained that Jia's debut film Xiao Shan Going Home (1995) was screened at the 22nd edition and "exposed his talent to an international audience", therefore they selected Jia to return for the festival's golden jubilee. A commemorative book on Jia was published in collaboration with Moleskine. In March, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin, Tsai Ming-liang, and Ann Hui were announced as features in the Masterclass section. A full lineup was released on 10 March. Other notable guests at the festival included Juliette Binoche, Ildikó Enyedi, Anthony Chen, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Edwin, and Ben Rivers.
The film festival opened on 1 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the Singaporean drama film We Are All Strangers by Anthony Chen. Events took place at various venues, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Premiere Elements, M+, iSQUARE, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Gala Cinema, and East Kowloon Cultural Centre. A total of 215 films from 71 countries were screened, featuring 11 world premieres, four international premieres, and 49 Asian premieres. Ticket prices ranged from HK$55 to $100. It was part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, featuring events such as the Hong Kong Filmart and 44th Hong Kong Film Awards taking place concurrently. However, the Asian Film Awards, which were usually held during the Expo, cancelled the main awards ceremony "to be low-key" due to the Wang Fuk Court fire.
The Chinese drama film Linka Linka by Tibetan director Kangdrun won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) and the FIPRESCI Prize, while the Austrian-German drama film Rose by Markus Schleinzer won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (World). The multinational documentary Past Future Continuous by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovanireceived the Firebird Award for Documentary Competition. The festival closed on 12 April with the Hong Kong drama film Cyclone by Philip Yung. Albert Lee stepped down as executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society following this edition of the festival.
Jury
The jury of the Firebird Awards comprises:
Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) Philip Yung, Hong Kong filmmaker Liang Ming, Chinese filmmaker Edward Lam, Hong Kong theatre director and screenwriter
Young Cinema Competition (World) Ildikó Enyedi, Hungarian filmmaker Edwin, Indonesian filmmaker Wim De Witte, programme director of Film Fest Gent
Documentary Competition Park Ki-yong, South Korean filmmaker Jessey Tsang, Hong Kong filmmaker Eric Nyari, Japan-based American filmmaker
Program sections Opening and closing films The following films were chosen as the opening and closing features of the film festival, marking the Asian premieres of both films:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s)Opening film We Are All Strangers 我們不是陌生人 Anthony Chen SingaporeClosing film Cyclone 超風 Philip Yung Hong Kong
Gala Presentation The following films have been selected for screening in the Gala Presentation section, marking the world premieres of We're Nothing At All, The Dating Menu, and Spare Queens:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Queen at Sea Lance Hammer United Kingdom Nouvelle Vague Richard Linklater France, United States Silent Friend Stiller Freund Ildikó Enyedi Germany, France, Hungary We're Nothing At All 我們不是什麼 Herman Yau Hong Kong The Dating Menu 廚師發辦 Amos Why, Frankie Chung Hong Kong Spare Queens 大分瓶 Tommy Tom Hong Kong A Foggy Tale 大濛 Chen Yu-hsun Taiwan Year One Anno uno Roberto Rossellini Italy
Cinephile Paradise The following films have been selected for screening in the Cinephile Paradise section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) After the Hunt Luca Guadagnino United States, Italy The Christophers Steven Soderbergh United Kingdom, United States Blue Moon Richard Linklater United States, Ireland Nouvelle Vague France, United States The Drama Kristoffer Borgli United States EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert Baz Luhrmann United States, Australia Mothertongue 春树Zhang LüChina Gloaming in Luomu 罗目的黄昏 Mirrors No. 3 Miroirs No. 3 Christian Petzold Germany My Wife Cries Meine Frau weint Angela Schanelec Germany, France Sirāt Óliver Laxe France, Spain Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany The Stranger L'Étranger François Ozon France The Voice of Hind Rajab صوت هند رجب Kaouther Ben Hania Tunisia, France
Firebird Awards Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) at the Firebird Awards: Linka Linka emerged as the winner and won the FIPRESCI Prize, with Tan Siyou awarded Best Director for Amoeba, while Yu An-shun and Ong Xuan Jing were named Best Actor and Best Actress for their roles in A Dance with Rainbows and Ah Girl, respectively.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Ah Girl 泡泡糖女孩 Ang Geck Geck Priscilla Singapore Amoeba 核 Tan Siyou Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea A Dance with Rainbows 恨女的逆襲 Lee Yi-shan Taiwan Deep Quiet Room 深度安靜 Shen Ko-shang Taiwan Linka Linka 一個夜晚與三個夏天 Kangdrun China Nighttime Sounds 你的眼睛比太阳明亮 Zhang Zhongchen China Number 23 地下美人 Xia Hao China Shanghai Daughter 上海女兒 Agnis Shen China
Young Cinema Competition (World) The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (World) at the Firebird Awards: Rose emerged as the winner, with Andrius Blaževičius receiving Best Director for How to Divorce During the War, while Blue Heron Edik Beddoes and I Understand Your Displeasure Sabine Thalau were named Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 17 Kosara Mitić North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia Blue Heron Sophy Romvari Canada, Hungary How to Divorce During the War Skyrybos karo metu Andrius Blaževičius Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland I Understand Your Displeasure Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut Kilian Armando Friedrich Germany The Ivy Hiedra Ana Cristina Barragán Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain Redoubt Värn John Skoog Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland Rose Markus Schleinzer Austria, Germany Variations on a Theme Variasies op 'n tema Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar South Africa, The Netherland, Qatar
Documentary Competition The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Documentary) at the Firebird Awards: Past Future Continuous was selected as the winner, while Yrsa Roca Fannberg received the jury prize for her work on The Ground Beneath Our Feet.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) All My Sisters Massoud Bakhshi Austria, France, Germany, Iran Elephants & Squirrels Gregor Brändli Switzerland Good Valley Stories Historias del buen valle José Luis Guerin Spain, France Goodbye Sisters Alexander Murphy France, Nepal The Ground Beneath Our Feet Jörðin undir fótum okkar Yrsa Roca Fannberg Iceland, Poland Memory Vladlena Sandu France, The Netherlands Past Future Continuous Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani Iran, Norway, Italy Whispers in the Woods Le chant de forêts Vincent Munier France
Pan-Chinese Cinema Filmmaker in Focus Jia Zhangke was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the film festival on 29 January 2025, showcasing eleven of his previous works:
English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s) Xiao Shan Going Home 小山回家Jia Zhangke 1995China Xiao Wu 小武 1998 Platform 站台 2000 Unknown Pleasures 任逍遥 2002 The World 世界 2004 Dong 东 2006 Still Life 三峡好人 2006 24 City 二十四城记 2008 Mountains May Depart 山河故人 2015 China, France, Japan Ash Is Purest White 江湖儿女 2018China Caught by the Tides 风流一代 2024 Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang 汾陽小子賈樟柯 Walter Salles 2014 Brazil
Chinese-language Restored Classics Four restored Chinese classics were showcased as part of a sidebar at the film festival:
English title Original title Director(s) Year of release Production countrie(s) Sorrows and Joys of a Middle-Aged Man 哀樂中年 Sang Hu 1949 China Final Victory 最後勝利 Patrick Tam 1987Hong Kong Cageman 籠民 Jacob Cheung 1992 Vive l'amour 愛情萬歲 Tsai Ming-liang 1994 Taiwan
Masters and Auteurs The Masters The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Back Home 回家 Tsai Ming-liang Taiwan Below the Clouds Sotto le nuvole Gianfranco Rosi Italy The Day She Returns 그녀가 돌아온 날 Hong Sang-soo South Korea Franz Agnieszka Holland Czech Republic, Germany, Poland Ghost Elephants Werner Herzog United States La Grazia Paolo Sorrentino Italy Magellan Magalhães Lav Diaz Portugal, Spain, France, The Philippines Two Prosecutors Zwei Staatsanwälte Sergei Loznitsa France, Germany, The Netherlands
Anthony Chen's 'Growing Up' Trilogy The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, with the Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen attending a seminar after the second screening of We Are All Strangers on 4 April 2026:
English title Original title Director(s) Year Production countrie(s) Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家Anthony Chen 2013 Singapore Wet Season 热带雨 2019 Singapore, Taiwan We Are All Strangers 我们不是陌生人 2026 Singapore
Mary Stephen: Shades of Silk & Shorts The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section, with the French-based Hong Kong filmmaker attending a panel discussion with film critic Li Cheuk-to: