25 Feb – Despite all hopes for the festival to run smoothly this year, it was revealed that the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) has been delayed indefinitely due to an ongoing wave of the omicron variant of COVID-19. The said festival, which was originally scheduled to begin at the end of March, has already delayed its event back in 2020, with the Hong Kong Film Awards having to be bumped to 2022 due to the COVID-19 situation. The latest development came as the Hong Kong government extended its social distancing measures until 20 April, with all cinemas throughout the territory closed since January.
Aside from postponing the festival, organisers also cancelled the remaining screenings in the Cine Fan community outreach programme, with plans to hold it at a later date. On the other hand, the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), which would usually run in March, has also opted for an online-only format this year, to be held from 14 to 17 March.