OzAsia Festival Will Feature South Australia's Largest Ever Showcase of Hong Kong Arts and Culture

This year, the Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival 2016 program features a major arts and cultural focus on Hong Kong including two Australian premieres.

With support from the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to promote a range of arts and culture from Hong Kong to Australian audiences, the Festival presents:

Incredible Hong Kong Dragon will feature as the main lantern in Moon Lantern Festival, with anticipated audience of more than 40,000 people;

Acclaimed music group SIU2 will provide the live music performance to the Moon Lantern Parade, bringing a distinct Hong Kong element to the annual moon lantern event;

Australian premiere of City Contemporary Dance Company's acclaimed and moving production As if to Nothing will open the Festival's theatre and dance program;

Johnnie To film career retrospective featuring a rare masterclass with Johnnie To in conversation discussing the future directions of Chinese cinema and a selection of his acclaimed films including his latest film Three which has received favourable reviews around the world;

Acclaimed Hong Kong visual artist Kingsley Ng's Australian premiere solo exhibition Record Light will take place at Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (CACSA); and

OzAsia Festival's 10th anniversary celebratory Outdoor Concert Series in Elder Park will feature a Hong Kong indie music concert on Friday, 23 September with four distinct music groups, SIU2, GDJYB, Jing Wong, and Jabin Law.

The collaborative partnership between Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival, HKETO, and Hong Kong Arts Development Council bring Adelaide the largest showcase of Hong Kong arts in South Australia as part of OzAsia Festival 2016.

OzAsia Festival's Artistic Director Joseph Mitchell says: "For our 10 year anniversary Festival program, artists from Hong Kong will be a feature across the selection of programs with seven different events including dance, film, music, visual arts, and community engagement. Hong Kong is a vibrant, contemporary city with a young and energetic arts scene. We are thrilled that Adelaide will experience such a diverse array of stunning performances from Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, Sydney as well as Hong Kong Arts Development Council have both helped contribute to this large showcase of Hong Kong for the 2016 OzAsia Festival. Such partnerships can only help build the quality of arts content, bringing Hong Kong culture to Australia, as well as fostering greater cultural awareness between Australia and Hong Kong."

Festivities for OzAsia Festival kick off on Saturday 17 September with the annual Moon Lantern Festival - which will have a Hong Kong inspired theme. Bring family and friends together to wonder at the spectacle of Australia's largest lantern parade celebration featuring the giant 40 person long Hong Kong Dragon, Wander through Elder Park to look at lantern installations, explore Adelaide's food truck cuisine and watch roving performances. Food vendors will start operating in the early afternoon and programmed activities will commence from 3pm. After sunset, get ready for the parade of spectacular lanterns followed by amazing fireworks over the River Torrens set to the live music score performed by Hong Kong music group SIU2.

To celebrate the Festival's 10 Year Anniversary a special Outdoor Live Music Concert Series, which is free for everyone to enjoy, will run over ten nights in Elder Park with high profile International Artists each night. A highlight for this will be Friday the 23rd of September when 4 distinct music groups from Hong Kong, SIU2, GDJYB, Jing Wong, and Jabin Law all perform live on the outdoor stage for Adelaide audiences to enjoy.

The opening night of theatre and dance program will include the Australian premiere of one of Hong Kong's most acclaimed dance companies. City Contemporary Dance Company's performance of As If To Nothing captures the urgency and anxiety of modern day Hong Kong with a technically brilliant ensemble of 14 dancers, accompanied by live multimedia and sound in a moving set choreographed by internationally renowned Sang Jijia. 22 - 24 September, Dunstan Playhouse.

CACSA presents Hong Kong artist Kingsley Ng in his first ever solo exhibition in Australia. Record Light creates a tender and moving counterpoint to the bright lights and sensory bombardment of modern day Hong Kong. 9 September - 14 October, CACSA.

Get your popcorn ready, OzAsia Festival's Film Program, in association with the Media Resource Centre, presents a retrospective with legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, whose diverse works have been well-received at film festivals such as Cannes and Venice. The five selected Johnnie To films celebrate his talent as a director and his prolific work as a producer:

His latest film Three tells the tale of a cunning gangster who is hospitalised but refuses treatment while a brooding detective wants to take him down.

Election depicts two triad leaders who face off in a power negotiation;

Mad Detective is a psychological, supernatural, mind-bending crime thriller between a rookie cop and a former detective;

Office is the musical story of a naïve boy and a secretive girl entering Hong Kong's big business world; and

Trivisa explores three different gangsters as they plan a major heist.

OzAsia Festival's Film Program will also bring audiences a selection of award winning films from across Asia to celebrate the diversity of the region, including China, India, Korea, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong. Fresh Wave showcases the work of Hong Kong's emerging generation of filmmakers through a selection of short films exploring the theme of 'Current Politics'.

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