The Film Programmes Office aims to foster young people’s interest in film and media arts by organising a wide range of film appreciation and educational screenings. This year, we work together with the Hong Kong Space Museum to introduce the world-famous classic, A Trip to the Moon. Along with insight talks and introduction to special effects in early cinema, students will have an opportunity to visit the museum’s Hall of Space Exploration, where experts will explain all the hands-on exhibits to help deepen their understanding of the relationship between the fantasy world in sci-fi movies and the real world.

Mr. Lam Kee-to, a film critic, screenwriter and special effects artist, will talk students through A Trip to the Moon and its production techniques after the screenings.

A Trip to the Moon
Director: Georges Méliès
France / 1902 / Hand-coloured / Silent with music / Restored version (2011) / 16 min

A pioneering work in science fiction cinema directed by Georges Méliès, a magician by profession. With his extraordinary imagination, Méliès was the first to tell the moon landing story in this thrilling adventure film long before humans first set foot on the planet in 1969. He also opened up a whole new world of infinite possibilities for other filmmakers, leaving an indelible mark on the development of motion picture.

The film follows a group of astronomers who are raring to visit the moon. They build a bullet-shaped capsule which is then shot to space by a cannon. On the exotic planet, they run into beautiful fairies and constellations, before they are held captive by some lunar inhabitants. The two sides duel it out, before the earthlings struggle back to the capsule and return to the Earth unharmed. 

The programme is in collaboration with the Hong Kong Space Museum, with the support of Institut Français and Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau.