The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival () took place from 10 April to 21 April 2025. Louis Koo was selected as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and masterclasses led by Albert Serra, Juho Kuosmanen, and Leos Carax were featured.
The festival opened with the Japanese crime film The Brightest Sun by Tetsuya Nakashima and the Malaysian-Hong Kong drama Pavane for an Infant by Chong Keat Aun, and closed with the Norwegian drama Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud. This year, 195 films from 69 countries were screened, including six world premieres, two international premieres, and fifty-two Asian premieres. Angela Yuen was chosen as the new ambassador of the HKIFF starting this edition, succeeding Karena Lam.
The theme of the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival is "Dialogue - Conversation of Film". The festival's poster, designed by local company Trilingua Design, features sound tracks as the background, accompanied by classic quotes from international films. Angela Yuen was named the new ambassador of the Hong Kong International Film Festival in late January 2025 starting from this edition, succeeding Karena Lam. Louis Koo was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the festival on 7 February 2025. Albert Lee, the executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, explained that Koo, who served as the HKIFF ambassador for five years starting in 2014, was chosen for both his acting career and filmmaking efforts through his production companies, which embody the essence of Hong Kong cinema to both the industry and the public. A commemorative book on Koo was published in collaboration with Moleskine.
Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra and Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen were announced as features in the Masterclass section later that month, with both presenting at the festival in person and marks Kuosmanen's first visit to Hong Kong. French filmmaker Leos Carax and Japanese actress Sakura Ando were also announced as features in the Masterclass and Focus section respectively in March. A full lineup was announced on 17 March 2025. Other notable guests at the festival included Chinese filmmakers Wang Bing, Vivian Qu, Japanese filmmaker Shinobu Yaguchi, and Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng.
The film festival opened on 10 April 2024 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the Japanese crime film The Brightest Sun by Tetsuya Nakashima and Malaysian-Hong Kong drama Pavane for an Infant by Chong Keat Aun. This edition was held later than usual, as the HKIFF typically starts in March, with Albert Lee cited the postponement of Art Basel Hong Kong, which also uses the Hong Kong Cultural Centre as its main venue, as the reason for the delay. Events took place at various venues, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, M+, and iSQUARE. A total of 195 films from 69 countries were screened, featuring six world premieres, two international premieres, and fifty-two Asian premieres. Ticket prices ranged from HKD$55 to $100. It was part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, featuring events such as the 18th Asian Film Awards and the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards taking place concurrently.
The multinational historical drama To Kill a Mongolian Horse by Jiang Xiaoxuan won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language), while the Japanese-Taiwanese-American psychological thriller Black Ox by Tsuta Tetsuichiro won the Firebird Award for the Young Cinema Competition (World). The multinational documentary Yalla Parkour by Areeb Zuaiter received the Firebird Award for Documentary Competition, and the Chinese film The Botanist by Jing Yi won the FIPRESCI Prize. The festival closed with the Norwegian drama Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud on 21 April.
The jury of the Firebird Awards comprises:
The following films were chosen as the opening and closing features of the film festival, marking the world premiere of The Brighest Sun:
Two Hong Kong films, which had only premiered at Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival in 2024, have been selected for screening in the Gala Presentation section:
The following films have been selected for screening in the Cinephile Paradise section:
The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language) at the Firebird Awards. To Kill a Mongolian Horse emerged as the winner, with Jing Yi awarded Best Director for The Botanist, Wang Ke named Best Actor for his role in All Quiet at Sunrise, while Wu Ke-xi and Xu Haipeng from Blue Sun Palace jointly received Best Actress for their performances.
The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (World) at the Firebird Awards. Black Ox emerged as the winner, with Ernesto MartÃÂnez Bucio receiving Best Director for The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box), while Yunan Georges Khabbaz and Hanna Schygulla were named Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
The following films were selected to compete in the Young Cinema Competition (Documentary) at the Firebird Awards. Yalla Parkour was selected as the winner, while Andres Veiel received the jury prize for his work on Riefenstahl.
Louis Koo was announced as the Filmmaker in Focus for the film festival on 7 February 2025, showcasing ten of his previous works.
The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:
The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:
The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:
The following films were selected for screening in the Masterclass section:
The following films have been selected for screening in the Les Auteurs section:
The following films have been selected for screening in the Global Vision section:
The following films have been selected for screening in the Fantastic Beats section, marking the world premiere of the Japanese romance film Sato and Sato.
Eight restored film classics from various eras and regions were selected for showcase at the festival:
The following films which starred Japanese actress Sakura Ando were selected for screening in the Focus section: