Canadian Premiere
Veteran Hong Kong star Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs) has a field day here as Chi Kwong, a terrible actor (actually a retiree who works as an extra in HK movies) whose unwaveringly cheerful and sunny disposition makes him a natural for WeFamily, a rent-a-mom-and-pop operation. In his first assignment, Kwong plays a stern dad to a distraught daughter taking her first driving lesson. When a cop commandeers the car to chase a runaway criminal, he assumes that’s all part of the script (it isn’t). Another client needs a respectable family to present to her prospective in-laws (not a great long-term plan, to be sure), a scheme which immediately goes off the rails when her fiancé’s family arrives for dinner an hour early.
If the opening salvos favour broad slapstick and farce, this unapologetic crowd-pleaser has a few tricks up its sleeve and more emotional registers than you might expect. It’s a full meal, and Tsang’s fans will savour every moment.
Presented by
Media Partner
Eric Tsang, Carlos Chan, Catherine Chau, Tien Niu
Hong Kong
2022
In Cantonese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Best Boy
Sibling rivalry is the name of the game in Jesse Noah Klein's pitch black comedy. Eli, Lawrence and Phillip (who's a woman) reunite after the passing of their father and, in accordance with his last wishes, compete for the prized title of "Best Boy".
The End of the Internet + Installation & Talk
Forget the cloud. "The net" is a far more accurate metaphor for the www. Filmmaker Dylan Reibling meets the hacktavists around the world fighting for the independent flow of information free from censorship and exploitation.
Lucid
Art student Mia is struggling with a make-or-break assignment, a self-portrait. It's only when grandma lets slip that her mom used to hypnotize her as a child to blank out the bad bits that she realizes the severity of the challenge...
Two Pianos
Once promising concert pianist Mathias (François Civil) returns to his native Lyon after a long absence. He's here to pay homage to his mentor, Elena (Charlotte Rampling). But a chance encounter with an old flame sends him spiraling.
The Richest Woman in the World
Isabelle Huppert plays cosmetics CEO Marianne in this teasingly ambivalent satire inspired by the Bettancourt Affair, when L'Oreal heir Francoise Bettancourt scandalized France by frittering away her fortune on a notorious celebrity photographer.
Credits
Producer
Eric Tsang, Jason Siu
Screenwriter
Ashley Cheung Yin Kei, Wong Wing Hong, Neil, Benny Lau
Cinematography
Oliver Lau
Editor
Milk Su
Original Music
Alan Wong, Janet Yung
Art Director
Ceci Fok Pui Sze
Director
Benny Lau
Benny Lau is a film director and screenwriter based in Hong Kong, best known for exploring love and family relationships in his films. Lau’s first short film, Mr. Right (2008), was presented in Busan International Film Festival and Hong Kong Asian Film Festival. His second feature film, When Sun Meets Moon (2017), was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, and won the Audience Award in the East Winds Film Festival. Lau’s next feature, Your World, Without Me (2021) was selected for the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.
Filmography: Wong Ka Yan (2015); When Sun Meets Moon (2018); Your World, Without Me (2021); Burning (2022)