A Little Bit of Everything

If ever there were a week of Hong Kong life that supremely warranted a well-deserved rest, it would surely be this one, the immediate aftermath of the Sevens. I plan on heading straight home after work each day until at least Friday, to do little but sleep, read, watch a little television and perhaps venture one flight up to my rooftop. Yes, I'm exhausted, but I wouldn't even think of trading the memories of the past fortnight for all the relaxation on Earth.

Dusk at Hong Kong Stadium

It's the second week of April, so you know the drill by now, and could probably write this blog post for me. It normally goes something like this: the weather has gotten better (check), the Hong Kong Film Festival has taken place (check) and, somehow, I've made it through another iteration of the Rugby Sevens (check). Yes, in the stretch of days that has flown past since my return from the Middle East, Hong Kong life has been as full as ever, and perhaps as predictable. But it's still one of the greatest times of the year in this city, and I am glad I took full advantage.

Typical Sevens Craziness

For one memorable day, Courtney was back in town. She and her boyfriend Brad have just moved to the US, and she passed back through Hong Kong en route from Thailand to Las Vegas. We met in Happy Valley on Good Friday, and spent a great string of hours hitting up some of our favorite spots in town.

Welcome back, Courtney!

Then came Easter, which was celebrated with a lovely afternoon on Repulse Bay Beach with my friends Sophie, Romain, their newborn baby Basile and a whole flock of others. After catching the bus back to the north side of Hong Kong Island, I indulged in a good, old-fashioned American dinner at the Flying Pan before watching Easter Parade at home. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty great Easter.

Easter Sunset

And, of course, the Film Festival was back in town, too. The schedule was actually released back in February, and I made the list—as I do every year—of those movies that jumped off the page and most piqued my interest. Unfortunately, a significant chunk of this year's festival took place during my time in Dubai. And I had to make a choice relatively early on about whether to tack a free weekend onto the tail end of my trip, or, alternatively, whether to rush back to Hong Kong immediately on the heels of my final meeting, to jump right in to the glories of the festival.

As big a movie lover as I consider myself to be, I am very satisfied with my decision to linger in the UAE. But I sincerely hope that I get to fully participate in next year's festival.

In the end, I only managed to squeeze in a quartet of screenings this year—in 2013, I attended that many in a single Saturday—but all four of them were worthwhile experiences. The first movie I took in was one of the Restored Classics that have come to be a high point in any year's crop of films. My friend Romain and I met at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to see Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour, starring a radiant Catherine Deneuve in one of her most iconic roles. I love that the festival presents such rare opportunities to see these kinds of movies with an audience and on a big screen, seeing that if you normally wanted to catch a 1960s film, you're only option in Hong Kong is to watch it on your television or computer.

HKIFF 2018

Later that night, I caught Transit, a German film ostensibly set during World War II yet shot as if it were taking place in present day Marseilles. It was a deeply moving experience, and very thought-provoking. And, as a sort of bonus to the film itself, the screening was preceded by a brief award ceremony in the Cultural Centre, where the juries of this year's festival presented a bevvy of prizes to the creators of the top short films and documentaries and the winner of the young director's competition. In all the years I've attended the festival—and that's every year since 2011—I'd never even known about this ceremony, so it was quite serendipitous to get a chance to witness it by pure luck.

An unexpected awards ceremony

On Tuesday morning, there was only one thing on my mind: Villanova basketball. I had searched high and low for a bar showing the final NCAA tournament game, but American college sports are not nearly as popular here as they are back home. I had almost given up hope entirely, when I got the bright idea to search Facebook for the University of Michigan's alumni page. As fate would have it, they were gathering to watch the game at Wagyu, a popular bar and restaurant in Central. So, as the sole representative of Villanova surrounded by close to thirty Michigan fans, I cheered on our Wildcats as they really powered their way to victory.

NCAA final at Wagyu

  

I must say, the Michigan crew was gracious and friendly, and although I would have loved to have been in the company of more die hard 'Nova fans, I'm very grateful that I got to watch the game live and in a memorable setting.

Celebratory 'Nova flag flying proud in my bedroom window!

The next day, my focus went back to movies. I caught a late afternoon screening of the documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, and truth be told, it was my favorite of this year's bunch. I learned so much about one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars, and was struck by her candor, intelligence, wit and strength. I wholeheartedly recommend that you see this movie if you can. 

Later that same night, I was back in the Cultural Centre to watch The Florida Project, Sean Baker's newest hit. Luckily, this was one of the "Meet the Audience" screenings I've come to love about any year's festival, and Mr. Baker appeared post-movie to talk about the making of the film and his creative process, making a very memorable end to an entirely too-short festival.

Face-to-Face with Sean Baker after The Florida Project

We had another Hong Kong public holiday on Thursday, to mark the Ching Ming Festival. Although there were movie screenings as part of the festival's official final day, the ones I was most keen on attending had already sold out by the time I got around to thinking about buying tickets. Still, my friend Kevin mentioned he had extra passes to the Rugby Tens at the neighboring Hong Kong Football Club, and I could have one if I was interested.

I must confess, as much as I've loved the Sevens over the past years, I'd only been marginally aware that the Tens takes place in the same week. What a fool I've been! It was a wonderful afternoon, with good food and drinks, a much more intimate atmosphere than the monumental Sevens, and a very classy setting inside one of the city's most storied clubs. I hope I'm fortunate enough to return in the future.

The Rugby Tens at the Hong Kong Football Club

Then, like that, it was Rugby Sevens Friday. I hadn't made much effort to secure a ticket, yet I was strangely unconcerned. That afternoon, I was speaking with an insurance company about some work-related matters. At the end of the conversation, it turned to sports. "Are you going to the Sevens this weekend?" he asked me. 

"I don't have a ticket yet," I replied, "but these things seem to have a way of working themselves out." 

A second later I was offered a free one to Saturday's games, and a little later, Kevin again came through with an extra Friday ticket. I couldn't believe my good fortune. On Friday evening, I made my way to the stadium after work, not arriving until about 7pm. Without much effort, I bumped into friends right fairly quickly, and the whole weekend melted into one big, colorful, chaotic blur.

"Hey, Baby!"

So, yes, I'm ready to sleep for a week, but this truly is one of the best times of the year in Hong Kong, and I know I'm very lucky that the stars aligned for me to soak up all the sun, cinema and sports that make this time of the year such a standout stretch on the calendar!