The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF46) continues its longstanding celebration of Hong Kong cinema with the SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG, presented by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO SF). Spanning six films, this year’s program brings together a new generation of filmmakers and performers alongside beloved stars and masters of the industry, reflecting the extraordinary range and enduring vitality of one of the world’s most influential film cultures.
From romance and social drama to supernatural horror, sports drama and a newly restored action classic, the 2026 lineup offers a multifaceted portrait of Hong Kong—one rooted in the city’s storied cinematic history while looking firmly toward its future.
HONG KONG FILMMAKER IN PROFILE: STEPHY TANG 鄧麗欣
At the center of this year’s Spotlight is 2026 HIFF Hong Kong Honoree Stephy Tang, one of Hong Kong’s most versatile actresses and recording artists.
Tang first rose to prominence in 2002 as a member of the Cantopop girl group Cookies before launching a successful solo career with her debut album Coloring Stephy in 2005. After becoming a leading presence in Hong Kong romantic comedies, Tang increasingly gravitated toward challenging dramatic roles, earning Best Actress from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society for THE EMPTY HANDS (2017) and a Hong Kong Film Award nomination.
HIFF46 celebrates Tang with two films showcasing the evolution of her career. Norris Wong’s acclaimed MY PRINCE EDWARD features Tang in one of her defining performances as Fong, a bridal shop employee whose impending marriage forces her to confront a secret from her past—and larger questions about love, independence and the social expectations surrounding marriage.
Tang returns in the Hawai‘i premiere of SPARE QUEENS, starring alongside Chrissie Chau. Set in Hong Kong’s competitive bowling world, the film follows two former rivals forced to reunite years after a scandal drove them apart. What begins as a sports drama evolves into a story of friendship, reconciliation and second chances. Stephy Tang will attend the HIFF46 screening for a special post-screening discussion.
Tang’s recent career has moved seamlessly between independent cinema and commercial hits including TABLE FOR SIX, TABLE FOR SIX 2, LOVE LIES and LITTLE RED SWEET. In 2025, she returned to her musical roots with three sold-out concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, further cementing her status as one of Hong Kong entertainment’s most enduring multi-hyphenate talents.
THE PANG BROTHERS RETURN TO HONG KONG HORROR
Another centerpiece of this year’s Spotlight is the North American premiere of THE MAGE, marking a major homecoming for filmmaking duo Oxide Pang and Danny Pang.
The Pang Brothers made an international impact with their landmark supernatural horror film THE EYE, helping define a new wave of Asian horror in the early 2000s. With THE MAGE, they return to the atmospheric Hong Kong genre filmmaking where they first made their mark.
Hong Kong icon Josie Ho stars as Lan, a mysterious woman who collects discarded objects she believes retain the spirits of people who died under mysterious circumstances. After discovering a hanged body, she becomes drawn into a series of suspicious deaths—and into an uneasy partnership with a detective whose faith in evidence collides with Lan’s ability to communicate with the dead. Blending police procedural, supernatural mystery and horror, THE MAGE transforms Hong Kong itself into a shadowy landscape haunted by secrets and restless spirits.
HIFF is thrilled to welcome Josie Ho, Conroy Chan and members of the film’s team to Honolulu to celebrate the film’s North American premiere, with Ho scheduled to participate in a special Q&A following the first screening.
A NEW GENERATION OF HONG KONG STORIES
The Spotlight also turns its attention toward filmmakers capturing the rhythms, pressures and relationships of contemporary Hong Kong.
In THE DATING MENU, directors Amos Why and Frankie Chung mix food, romance and nostalgia in the story of a struggling cook searching a dating app for the girl he once knew online—only to encounter four different women sharing her name. Through meals prepared for each potential “Zelda,” the film becomes an affectionate portrait of memory, missed connections and Hong Kong’s evolving food culture.
The U.S. premiere of WE ARE BORN GOOD offers a rawer portrait of life in the city. Inspired by a viral CCTV video, writer-director Leung Chuen Yeung’s feature debut begins with a botched takeaway order that triggers an escalating feud between an aspiring actress struggling with debt and a restaurant owner recently released from prison. What initially appears to be an everyday conflict gradually reveals the financial pressure, family obligations and social judgment pushing both characters toward the edge.
Together, these films demonstrate the continuing ability of Hong Kong filmmakers to transform the city’s everyday spaces—restaurants, shops, bowling alleys, crowded streets and neighborhoods—into deeply human stories about people navigating a rapidly changing world.
A HONG KONG ACTION CLASSIC RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN
No celebration of Hong Kong cinema would be complete without acknowledging the filmmaking revolution that transformed global action cinema.
HIFF46 presents a newly remastered screening of Ringo Lam’s blistering 1992 cult classic FULL CONTACT, starring Chow Yun-Fat, Simon Yam and Anthony Wong. Darker and more nihilistic than many of its contemporaries, the film combines gunplay, betrayal and explosive action with Lam’s muscular visual style and Chow’s unmistakable screen presence. More than three decades later, FULL CONTACT remains one of the wildest collaborations between Lam and Chow—and a reminder of the fearless filmmaking that made Hong Kong cinema a global phenomenon.
Across six films, HIFF46 SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG connects generations of Hong Kong cinema: from Ringo Lam and Chow Yun-Fat’s explosive legacy and the Pang Brothers’ return to supernatural horror, to Stephy Tang’s evolution into one of the territory’s most accomplished screen performers and a new generation of filmmakers telling stories about life in Hong Kong today.
Presented by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO SF), the program celebrates a cinema that continues to reinvent itself while retaining the energy, personality and unmistakable sense of place that has captivated audiences around the world for generations.
SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG FILMS AT HIFF46
THE DATING MENU — Hawai‘i Premiere
FULL CONTACT — Special Presentation / Newly Remastered
THE MAGE — North American Premiere
MY PRINCE EDWARD — Special Presentation
SPARE QUEENS — Hawai‘i Premiere
WE ARE BORN GOOD — U.S. Premiere
HIFF46 takes place this fall in Honolulu, with the Spotlight on Hong Kong screenings at Consolidated Theatres Kahala.
