Hong Kong kung fu "legend" wins award at Fantasia Film Festival
Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The "Legendary Kung Fu Star" Award was presented on Saturday (July 10, Montreal time) at Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival to Hong Kong actor Bruce Leung Siu-lung in recognition of his contribution to martial art films in the past few decades. The presentation was held during the Canadian premiere of the retro-70s Hong Kong film "Gallants", which was a highlight of the 14th Fantasia Festival. The film was screened at Concordia University's Hall Theatre to a capacity audience.
Bruce Leung and the film's director Clement Cheng attended a jam-packed autograph session after the screening. "Gallants" was screened earlier at the Marche du Film in Cannes and at the New York Asian Film Festival. It was described as "a kung fu comedy reminiscent of old Hong Kong martial arts cinema", "fun, fun stuff" and "definitely one of the most entertaining films of the year." The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Canada, Ms Maureen Siu, said at the presentation ceremony that after the commercial and critical success of "Ip Man" - the story of Bruce Lee's kung fu master - in 2008, the martial arts genre saw a resurgence.She thanked the organisers for presenting the Canadian premiere of "Gallants" and giving the award to a kung fu film "legend" of Hong Kong.
"The film 'Gallants' reflects the well-known spirit of Hong Kong people to never give up," added Ms Siu. "The award to Bruce Leung is especially meaningful because this year marks the 70th birthday of Bruce Lee, one of the most influential icons in martial arts films, who left us with another legend in the movie world," she said. Having appeared in many blockbusters, Leung at one time ranked close to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan in the hearts of Hong Kong film fans.
Born in 1948 in Hong Kong, Leung learned martial arts from his father at the Cantonese opera. He is a well-known action star and kung fu choreographer. Between the 1970s and 1980s, Leung performed in more than 70 movies.
The HKETO sponsored the Hong Kong Panorama section of this year's Fantasia, which includes some of Hong Kong's latest film productions - "Gallants", "Ip Man 2","Bodyguards and Assassins", "Dream Home", "Little Big Soldier", "Love in a Puff", "Overheard", "Written by" and "Accident".Five of them are Canadian premieres. Begun in 1996, the Fantasia International Film Festival is a popular summer tradition in Montreal, Canada's City of Culture.
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