"Election" and "Election 2" by Johnnie To

April 11 to 13, 2007

During the last decade, Hong Kong cinema as a cult phenomenon has gradually lost it’s pole position in the eye of western media. The reasons for this loss of visibility may be found in the handover of the colony to China (1997), the increasing difficulties of the local film industry and the fact that the „Bollywood” brand conquered Hong Kong’s place in the European cultural scene (as if western cinephiles could only cope with one portion of popular Asian cinema at the time).

Western distribution is increasingly ignoring the central Hong Kong films (i.e. Infernal Affairs) while some get their attention at the bigger international film festivals. This is most true for the films of genre master Johnny To.

His recent Election (2005) und Election 2 (2006) about power struggles within the triad hierarchy both made it into the Cannes competition. Brilliant in style and morally challenging, these two superb gangster films display toughness and acumen side by side. The Austrian Premiere of both films will be hosted by the Filmmuseum.