• Lightcatcher: The Cinematography of Mark Lee Ping-Bing features ten films celebrating four decades of the acclaimed cinematographer’s poetic visual language and iconic collaborations with master directors
• Rediscoveries presents stunning 35mm screenings of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Café Lumière (2003) and Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) to complement Lightcatcher: The Cinematography of Mark Lee Ping-Bing
• Mamoru Oshii’s landmark anime films Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) are accompanied by a talk discussing how the futuristic worlds they portray connect with Hong Kong’s cityscape, as featured in the M+ Special Exhibition Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia.
• This Halloween, the restored original 183-minute version of Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan (1965) returns to the big screen
• Previews presents emerging Hong Kong filmmaker Jiang Wenjie’s feature directorial debut, Almost Home (2026)
• At the M+ Mediatheque, thirty films and videos from the Asian Avant-Garde Film Collection (AAGFC) are now on view, plus the Media Play Room presents Nawin Nuthong’s interactive game, Play_

M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, announces the M+ Cinema Autumn Edition, running from October to December 2026. Tickets for major programmes are now available for purchase. M+ Cinema redemption vouchers can be used for selected screenings.

Autumn Edition Highlights

M+ Cinema presents an expansive Autumn Edition of moving image programmes, spanning a major retrospective, 35mm screenings, anime, documentary, restored cinema, and contemporary filmmaking from Hong Kong. The season’s principal focus is on the work of filmmakers and collaborators whose contributions have shaped Asian cinematic history, while creating opportunities for audiences to engage with influential works through screenings and conversations.

Lightcatcher: The Cinematography of Mark Lee Ping-Bing spotlights the renowned cinematographer through ten films, complemented by talks exploring his creative practice and enduring influence on contemporary cinema. Rediscoveries presents 35mm screenings of Café Lumière (2003) and Seven Samurai (1954), two landmark works that illuminate Mark Lee Ping-Bing’s cinematic influences and legacy. Mamoru Oshii’s iconic anime films Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), exploring questions of technology, selfhood, and humanity, are presented in connection with the M+ Special Exhibition Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia. Also featured is the original 183-minute version of Kwaidan (1965), returning to the big screen following its 2025 restoration. The popular monthly series Stair in the Dark introduces Laughing Matters, a new theme dedicated to comedy in its many forms and expressions. The season also includes emerging Hong Kong filmmaker Jiang Wenjie’s feature directorial debut Almost Home (2026). All nine M+ Restored titles will return to M+ Cinema in 4K restored version, offering local audiences the opportunity to experience this celebrated collection of newly restored Hong Kong classic films following their international premieres and touring presentations.

Details of the M+ Cinema Autumn Edition:

• Lightcatcher: The Cinematography of Mark Lee Ping-Bing

A tribute to Mark Lee Ping-Bing, one of the most respected cinematographers in contemporary cinema, this retrospective celebrates his career by screening ten films spanning four decades in conjunction with a masterclass, and a documentary about Lee. Renowned for his evocative use of natural light, graceful camera movements, and contemplative long takes, he creates richly immersive worlds that reveal the emotional depths of his characters. Over a career spanning more than 100 films, Lee has come to be known as ‘a poet of light and shadow’, forging iconic collaborations with important directors including Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Wong Kar Wai, Sylvia Chang, Ann Hui, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Gilles Bourdos.

Programme highlights include The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985), Summer Snow (1995), Fallen Angels (1995), Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Tempting Heart (1999), Springtime in a Small Town (2002), Air Doll (2009), Let the Wind Carry Me (2009), Norwegian Wood (2010), Renoir (2012), and The Assassin (2015). Selected screenings will feature introductions and post-screening talks with Lee.

• Rediscoveries

Rediscoveries features a stunning 35mm screening of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Café Lumière (2003) alongside Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), two masterpieces in dialogue with Lightcatcher: The Cinematography of Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Commissioned by Japanese entertainment studio Shochiku to mark the centenary of master director Yasujiro Ozu, Café Lumière captures the spirit of Ozu’s Tokyo through the distinct cinematic language of Hou and cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Widely regarded as one of the most influential films in cinema history, Seven Samurai played a formative role in Lee's appreciation of cinema and inspired his decision to pursue a career in filmmaking.

• Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Mamoru Oshii’s seminal anime masterpieces Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) immerse audiences in a visionary cyberpunk universe while offering prescient reflections on technology, identity, and humanity. The screenings will be accompanied by a post-screening talk presented by Hiroko Myokam, anime archivist and curator and Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+. Their conversation will explore the futuristic world of the films in relation to original background art by Shuichi Kusamori featured in the M+ Special Exhibition Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia.

• Special Halloween Screening: Kwaidan (1965)

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, Kwaidan (1965) reimagines four traditional Japanese ghost stories collected by writer and translator Lafcadio Hearn, transforming timeless folklore into a haunting cinematic masterpiece. Awarded the Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, the film is renowned for its hand-painted skies, elaborate sets, breathtaking compositions, and avant-garde original score by Toru Takemitsu. Following the rediscovery of the original analogue materials, the uncut 183-minute version, long believed lost, returns to the big screen in a 2025 restoration, just in time for Halloween.

• Stair in the Dark—Laughing Matters

As M’s Stair in the Dark steps into its fifth year, the series introduces ‘Laughing Matters’, a new theme dedicated to comedy. From widely loved crowd-pleasers to films celebrated for their unintentional humour, Laughing Matters continues the series’ tradition of subverting expectations for the museum filmgoing experience. This season’s programme features Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic The Room (2003), Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s box-office hit Initial D (2005), and Robert Bierman’s Vampire’s Kiss (1989), which has achieved enduring cult status as an internet meme.

• Previews: Almost Home (2026)

Previews presents emerging Hong Kong filmmaker Jiang Wenjie’s feature directorial debut, Almost Home (2026), a gentle and intimate documentary that explores the meaning of home through the eyes of Hong Kong writers Hon Lai-chu, Lee Wai-yi, and Human Ip. Weaving together excerpts from their literary works and scenes from everyday life, the film journeys from Lam Tin and Sham Shui Po to the rural village of Lai Chi Wo, looking at the places, memories, and communities that inspire their writing and shape their connection to a city in constant transformation.

• Art at the Stair: You Inhuman Thing by Xu Bing

The Grand Stair will feature daily screenings of You Inhuman Thing (2026), a video artwork by Xu Bing that complements his brand-new interactive web-based commission on the M+ website. Blending images sourced from social media, news broadcasts, wildlife documentaries, AI-generated content, and satellite surveillance footage, the work takes the form of a fictional human identity verification test that challenges viewers to question what it means to be human. As the audiences navigate a rapid sequence of images, they are invited to consider the role of intention, reasoning, and ethics in defining humanity. You Inhuman Thing is on view at the Grand Stair until 3 January 2027.

• M+ Restored Festival 2026

All nine M+ Restored titles return to the big screen at M+ Cinema this season, bringing the museum's landmark restoration initiative home following presentations at festivals and cultural institutions around the world. Featuring 4K restorations of classics by T’ang Shushuen, Peter Yung, Patrick Tam, Tsui Hark, Allen Fong, Jacob Cheung, Ann Hui, Yim Ho, and Fruit Chan, the programme invites audiences to rediscover the artistic innovation and enduring legacy of Hong Kong cinema and to reconsider the impact of Hong Kong’s New Wave auteurs and their forerunners. Further details of the M+ Restored Festival 2026 will be announced at a later date.

• M+ Mediatheque and Media Play Room

The M+ Mediatheque allows visitors to view an ever-expanding collection of single-channel artists’ films free of charge. Thirty newly added films and videos from the Asian Avant-Garde Film Collection (AAGFC) are available for the Autumn Edition, including works by Hong Kong artists May Fung and Mary Stephen and South Korean filmmaker Han Okhi. Launched in July 2023 through a partnership with CHANEL, the AAGFC is a landmark initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting Asian experimental film and video art from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Visitors can also engage with virtual reality, videogames, and other digital art experiences in the Media Play Room. Thai artist Nawin Nuthong’s Play_ is currently on view in the space. This interactive maze constructed from cartoons, video games, and short GIF animations offers a creative look at how digital environments shape our perception of the world.

M+ Restored Film Festival 2026 and The Asian Avant-Garde Film Collection (AAGFC) are supported by CHANEL, M+’s Major Partner. For details, please visit the AAGFC website. For more ticketing and programme information, please visit the M+ website.

M+ Membership

M+ annual membership and patron membership offer an exclusive experience of contemporary visual culture for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Members across all tiers enjoy priority ticket purchases with a twenty per cent discount on selected cinema screenings, two free cinema redemption vouchers per membership year (four for M+ Patrons), and free exclusive screenings. M+ Members can enjoy unlimited admission to all M+ exhibitions throughout the year. Meanwhile, M+ Patrons can enjoy unlimited free admission to all exhibitions with up to three guests per visit. Other membership benefits include invitations to selected exhibition previews, exclusive M+ Members’ Lounge access with guests and M+ Private Viewings, priority ticket purchase, and much more. For more information, please visit the M+ website.

About M+

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese contemporary art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)

WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong’s new cultural tourism landmark, spanning forty hectares alongside Victoria Harbour. WestK comprises a mix of landmark arts and cultural facilities, including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues the Xiqu Centre and Freespace, the eleven-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade, and the upcoming WestK Performing Arts Centre.

Hosting over 1,000 exhibitions, performances, programmes, and events each year, WestK provides a vital platform for both emerging and established artists. WestK welcomes more than ten million visitors each year, evolving as the international cultural brand of Hong Kong and strengthening the city’s strategic role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.