Hong Kong Film Week kicked off on Monday in London, and Maggie Cheung is there to translate. As an actress who spent much of her childhood growing up in England, she is making every effort to promote the Film Week. The hope is to hold an event that can offer a brief view of Hong Kong films to the English people.

The event will introduce five celebrated Hong Kong films, opening with "Overheard 2", a mystery thriller co-directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong. Other films showing are "Echoes of the Rainbow", "Ip Man", "Love in a Puff" and "The Beast Stalker."

Maggie Cheung says that she hopes the event will give people in London the chance to take in a whole range of films so that they can really get a feel for what Hong Kong cinema is about.

Maggie Cheung said, "It's concentrated in one place and under one program, people can really think 'ok I'm going to dedicate my week, some evenings, to watch in a row, these kinds of movies to understand'."

The actress also feels that people tend to go for certain types of Asian films and that they should try to be open to all genres.

Maggie Cheung [CNTV]

Maggie Cheung said, "Either they are ones that love Wong Kar-wai and are just in that world or the ones go for Jackie Chan, you know. And I think they're both as strong as each other actually, coming from, I've done both and I think it's part of it. I just can't think of Hong Kong cinema without one or the other, the action and the more mellow dramas or the more personal films."

Cheung also says that her experience in the Hong Kong film industry has made her a good ambassador for the film festival.

Maggie Cheung said, "I just think there's just some great talent and I think Hong Kong actors and film makers, if you've done the Hong Kong film, you can probably survive anywhere and make a good movie anywhere, because we're so tough and we don't always get the 100 meter trailers. I think Hong Kong actors have really been through the ups and downs, the easy and the difficult."

Hong Kong Film Week runs until Friday as part of the "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" campaign, and is organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

 (CNTV September 15, 2011)