The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia’s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch new works and experience outstanding films. Screening over 280 titles from more than 50 countries in over 10 major cultural venues across the territory, the Festival is Hong Kong’s largest cultural event that reaches an audience of over 600,000. The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) revealed today the Opening Films of the 40th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF40), Chongqing Hot Pot, directed by China’s YANG Qing, and Trivisa, from the Hong Kong trio of Frank HUI, Vicky WONG and Jevons AU. Chongqing Hot Pot will kick off HKIFF40 on 21 March 2016 with its World Premiere, while that same eveningTrivisa will have its Asian Premiere. The 15-day festival will close on 4 April 2016 with the Asian Premiere ofCreepy, directed by Japanese filmmaker KUROSAWA Kiyoshi. The highly anticipated announcement was made at a press conference at The MOKO. Chongqing Hot Pot is YANG Qing’s second feature film after One Night in Supermarket (2009), and continues to showcase his talents with plot twists and comic timing. Chongqing Hot Pot is about three high school classmates who open a hot pot restaurant and find themselves in some wild and unexpected adventures after the business fails. The cast includes CHEN Kun and BAI Baihe, two of China’s biggest stars. Celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie TO is the producer of Trivisa, passing on his cinematic style to three new talents. Set before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the story is about three criminals planning to pull off a heist, with greed, hatred and bewilderment leading to their downfall. Each director follows one protagonist until their storylines ultimately intersect. Closing Film Creepy is the latest thriller by KUROSAWA Kiyoshi. The film stars leading man NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi as a former police detective who suspects that his neighbor may be involved in a six-year-old missing-person case. With over 240 titles from 66 countries and regions, the lineup is as eclectic as ever, boasting 63 World, International and Asian Premieres. Continuing with its previous successes in the Beautiful series, the festival will present Beautiful 2016, which is composed of four short films directed by China’s JIA Zhangke, Japan’s NAKATA Hideo, Taiwan’s Alec SU and Hong Kong’s Stanley KWAN. The HKIFF will present the World Premiere of this omnibus production.