Fr. Richard Leonard announnced the result

“Satellite, a complex and eccentric 13 year old boy, leads an army of devoted Kurdish orphans in a refugee camp on the Iran/Iraq border. This film not only shows the various and horrifying responses to living with terror and war, but the way in which these people’s religious, emotional and technological worlds will never be the same again.” The jury was both moved by the subject matter, and admiring of its cinematic language.

SIGNIS Hong Kong had to wait for a few years before securing a public partnership with the HKIFF in 2003. And the SIGNIS Award was subsequently introduced again in the 29th HKIFF this year.

The Most Reverend John Tong, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong presented SIGNIS award during the award gala

The festival offered film buffs a 16-day feast of movies from all around the world. The year 2005 was also the 100th anniversary of Chinese filmmaking, and the festival kicked off the celebration by showing the digitally re-mastered version of the classic Centre Stage (directed by Stanley Kwan) and a tribute to Sun Yu, a Chinese director who helped propelled films into the first golden age in Chinese cinema in 1920’s.

Turtles can fly

And a special section was dedicated to the Japanese director, Kinoshita Keisuke. He pioneered revolutionary techniques, including 1951’s <Carmen Comes Home>, the first Japanese feature shot in colour. Other competitive sections included the FIPRESCI Award, Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries and Asian DV Award.

Left ot right : Catherine Wong, Lilian Lui, Fr.Richard Leonard ,The Most Reverend John Tong , Dr .Dominic Yung, Wong Tin-Shing