Image: Screening of The Pleasure Garden at 'Hitchcock Before Hitchcock - The Birth of an Auteur'. Photo: © Thomas Lin
‘Hitchcock 9’ - nine silent films by Alfred Hitchcock meticulously restored by the BFI National Archive to their former glory with new digital technology – was presented by British Council in collaboration with BFI and also several key local film and music partners in 2013 and 2014.
To offer audiences a full appreciation of these cinematic gems, a series of events were presented through leveraging these partners’ strengths in programming, publicity and audience base, starting with the Hong Kong Film Archive’s 'Captivating Hitchcock Silents'. The Hong Kong premiere was kicked off in August 2013 by a seminar by Robin Baker, Head Curator of the BFI National Archive, who talked about the epic restoration process and the significance of Hitchcock’s early career and why these silent films are essential viewing for anyone interested in the history of cinema.
A partnership with the Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival, a major annual event in Hong Kong, created a special presentation of a Blackmail outdoor screening in December 2013 in the West Kowloon Cultural District. As the festival’s Cultural Partner, the British Council and the GREAT Campaign presented the film with live music accompaniment by Stephen Horne, to an audience of hundreds who enjoyed the film under the stars.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society completed the programme with its brilliant curatorship, concluding the programme with 'Hitchcock Before Hitchcock - The Birth of an Auteur' in January 2014, presenting seven of the Hitchcock 9 films with the live musical accompaniment by British pianist John Sweeney.