ONLINE EVENT

Designed specifically for our members and the public in quarantine, Social Soul Sessions (SSS) is an online programming about connection for those in isolation through the arts. The topics range from literature and films to music and other entertainment. 

The film segment of SSS will feature a film recommended by our in-house movie lovers. Every month join us in a book club-esque conversation about the film with other aficionados and fans. Watch the movies on the various online platform before our social session! 

Movie: Election (黑社會) directed by Johnnie To in 2005

The genre of gangster movies has made a remarkable presence in the Hong Kong film industry since the 1980s. Instead of presenting a formulaic combination of exaggerated fights and unmerciful bloodshed, Election (2005) depicts the gang rivalry between two triad leaders and their followers through dialogues and mixed uses of low-key and high-key lightings as well as bright and dark color palettes. In this Social Soul Session, we look forward to exploring the underground order of the triad community and experiencing the alternative aesthetics and mise-en-scene of this gangster film skillfully crafted by Johnnie To.

Election is a 2005 Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film stars Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai as two gang leaders engaged in a power struggle to become the new leader of a Hong Kong triad.

The film premiered as an Official Selection at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, before being released in Hong Kong on 20 October 2005, with a Category III rating. A sequel, Election 2 (also known as Triad Election in the United States), was released in 2006.

The movie is notable in being nominated for 14 Golden Horse Awards in Hong Kong cinema. The film was named Best Film of 2005 in the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, with To also clinching Best Director honours for the movie.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve, and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.