HONG KONG.- Hong Kong defines the very notion of partnership and collective resilience, and nowhere has that collaborative spirit been better represented than in film, the most collaborative art form. Tai Kwun’s 2026 summer exhibition Better Together – Partnering Up for Hong Kong Movies puts that sentiment front and centre, celebrating the shared ethos of paak zyu soeng (“team spirit”) that cuts to the city’s core. From 23 Jun to 4 Oct, Tai Kwun’s Duplex Studio will highlight decades of high-stakes filmmaking camaraderie both in front of and behind the camera.

Curated by film director Sunny Chan Wing San (Co-Curator and Creative Director of last summer’s Undercover Underworld), presented in association with the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Better Together features immersive re-creations of scenes from classic “partner” films over the past several decades, including replicas of many on-screen props from the original films, with recollections from film-industry collaborators responsible for shaping and capturing those breathtaking moments. This summer exhibition is made possible with core funding provided by The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust as one of Tai Kwun’s arts and heritage programmes, with Oriental Watch Company as Lead Sponsor.

“Tai Kwun’s annual summer show has become a kind of love-letter to this city as we reflect on those special quirks, eccentricities, qualities and characteristics that make Hong Kong unique,” observes Timothy Calnin, Director of Tai Kwun Arts. “We started with Hong Kong neon, then the birth of Cantonese pop music before delving into the rich subject of Hong Kong cinema. We are so fortunate to be able to partner up with an extraordinary range of experts, creatives, supporters and enthusiasts to bring each summer show to life. With us always is The Hong Kong Jockey Club, founder and funder of Tai Kwun, joined once again by our steadfast exhibition sponsor Oriental Watch Company. We are delighted to be presenting Better Together in association with the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers and, right at the heart of this summer’s show, it is a thrill to collaborate once again with Sunny Chan as Curator whose depth of knowledge, passionate commitment to Hong Kong cinema and tremendous flair and imagination promise a visually stunning, deeply researched and emotionally engaging experience. After last summer’s exhibition, with undercover films echoing Tai Kwun’s role as the former Central Police Station, this season’s focus on partner films highlights the team spirit that is the very heart of Hong Kong. We are again pleased to contribute a portion of this year’s exhibition ticket sales to the Federation in our shared support of Hong Kong’s film industry.”

Curator Sunny Chan Wing San says, “Apart from chronicling the values and standards of their eras, Hong Kong films have continually set the benchmark for super-human feats. Despite their limited resources, local filmmakers from this tiny speck on the globe bequeathed awe-inspiring depictions of car chases and dramatic explosions as well as gravity-defying wire work that wowed global audiences, branding a cinematic language that echoed even in Hollywood. What made this possible? The Hong Kong paak zyu soeng team spirit.”





Dennis Yeung, Managing Director of Oriental Watch Company, said: “We are honoured to support Tai Kwun's Summer Exhibition once again. This year’s theme, Better Together, reflects a spirit of collaboration and shared experience. Just as the films showcased span six decades, Oriental Watch Company has also been deeply rooted in Hong Kong for over 60 years, moving forward together through challenges, while witnessing the city’s transformation and growth. We believe that whether through cinema or timepieces, culture or art, it is refined craftsmanship and meaningful storytelling that capture the times, foster connections, and embody the essence of TAKE YOUR TIME.”

The local Cantonese phrase 拍住上 (paak zyu soeng, loosely translated as “partner up”) is a vivid idiom literally depicting people patting each other’s shoulders while jointly overcoming hardships. Extending this expression, one can practically see comrades-in-arms moving forward in lockstep. In the world of film, 拍 (paak) is a key part of the production process, with the camera rolling faithfully in capturing stories for the silver screen. Countless classic Hong Kong films feature characters “partnering up” in times of crisis – most obviously in action adventures, where emotional sparks make cinematic thrills even more riveting, with protagonists torn among feelings of amity, justice, trust, suspicion and betrayal, perhaps even (momentarily) losing their bearings. The stories not only run deep in Hong Kong but have brought viewers together around the world.

Hong Kong: Changing Times, Different Partnerships

The first duty of a great film is to bear witness to its times. Better Together traces the Hong Kong team spirit through numerous films and multiple decades, reflecting the shifts in social values in different eras. Beginning in the 1960s, The Black Rose (1965) is a portrayal of personal chivalry, when Hong Kong’s development led to a widening gap between rich and poor and the social welfare system proved insufficient for the city’s problems. The characters put vivid faces to the values of people helping each other, and the quest for justice and a fair society. By the 1980s, Aces Go Places (1982) addresses the issue of meritocracy, changing the variables in the debate over how best to use divergent talents and abilities for the common good. Whether in local archetypes or the story’s global mindset, the self-consciousness of Hong Kong’s rise as an international metropolis is ever-present.

The films of the 1990s, after Hong Kong secured its place in the global community, unveiled a new chapter in the city’s cultural development: Once a Thief (1991), the quintessential embodiment of romanticism, reveals what happens when ideals face reality; Police Story III – Super Cop (1992) focuses on cultural integration marked by mutual respect and thoughtful understanding, offering a vision of the future for Hong Kong people; and Gen-X Cops (1999) witnesses an inter-generational passing of the torch and the search for newly relevant identity in a changing world.

Once in the new millennium, Rob-B-Hood (2006) examines how, when literally facing a new generation, human nature and values can change with the circumstances, yet still fit well within traditional moral standards. By the 2010s, Blind Detective (2013) highlights how strategic partnerships are built on mutual benefit and individual aspirations, rather than the loyalty that had been characteristic in earlier partnerships. Most recently, Rob N Roll (2024) follows men on divergent paths sharing the same journey, a testament that different circumstances and demands need not derail a common goal. All of these bear testament to Hong Kong’s changing times and an increasingly complex web of interrelationships, reflecting a collective team spirit that underpins social connection and resilience.

Walking through Decades, On– and Off–screen Partners in Focus

After introducing its selected films, Better Together departs on a thematic exploration of collaboration through immersive re-creations of scenes from eight films (and sometimes their sequels), often finding common ground in different cinematic worlds and occasionally finding differences in the same world over time. After an extended introduction to the films in Scene 1 “Partnership”, the journey begins with Scene 2 “The World Turns Upside Down”, recreating the iconic upside‑down heist scene in Once a Thief. Scene 3 “Conflicts from Within”, juxtaposing characters from sequels to two of the exhibition’s featured films (Aces Go Places II and Gen-Y Cops), features two robotic figures from the two films, looking at frequent periods of adjustment needed for partners to put aside their differences and focus on a common enemy.

Centring on the third film in the Aces Go Places series, Scene 4 “A Test of Trust” explores what happens when trust between two partners is strained to the breaking point, featuring a signature lie‑detector sequence capturing the dynamic tension when one partner loses faith in the other. Scene 5 “Traces of the Past” follows the legacy of characters from The Black Rose in its later pan-genre homage 92 The Legendary La Rose Noire (1992). The scene recreates the home of the Black Rose, evoking a space where superfans and true disciples alike become scarred when trust dissolves. Scene 6 “Sharing the Same Path” highlights the partners in Blind Detective – one physically agile but inexperienced, the other supremely intelligent but blind – to underscore the secret to successful partnerships by complementing each other’s strengths and covering each other’s weaknesses. The scene is further enriched by exclusive interviews with teams both on screen and behind the scenes, offering deeper insight into the nature of partnership and trust.

Scene 7 “Breaking to Rebuild” presents an immersive action scene inspired by Police Story III – Super Cop and uses an unlikely pairing of a Hong Kong special police officer and a Chinese Mainland public security officer – to show how meaningful collaborations can emerge after an initially explosive collision. Scene 8 “Embracing Difference” finds in the accidental meeting of two down-and-out men and a robber in Rob N Roll that a shared goal can result from opposite directions. Featuring action‑film props, the scene also reflects how cinema transforms unlikely alliances into moments where working together makes the seemingly impossible possible. Finally, Scene 9 “Life Goes On” reveals through Rob-B-Hood the point where partners can become like family, sustaining a legacy of trust and collaboration while looking ahead to the future, passing on values across generations.

Scenes from classic partner films recreated in Better Together invite visitors to step into those cinematic worlds. Highlights include:

• The dramatic transformation of the gallery of the Duplex studio into the iconic stunt scenes in Police Story III – Super Cop, including the helicopter and motorbike, as well as stacks of gold bars

• A robotic face-off between Black Knight I, the mechanised assassin from Aces Go Places II, and RS1, the prototype combat robot hacked to attack Hong Kong in Gen-Y Cops

• The upside-down gallery (complete with inverted chandelier) from Once a Thief, re-creating the point of view of the art thieves attempting a heist while suspended from the ceiling to avoid detection

• Props from various action films evoking the energy, risk and spectacle of Hong Kong action cinema

Midway through the re-created film scenes, Better Together will also include feature extensive video interviews. Discussions offering a rare glimpse into the chemistry and creative synergy behind these legendary partnerships will include: Sam Hui revisiting Aces Go Places and specially performing the film’s iconic theme song; Aaron Kwok and Man Lim Chung going over the action scenes and stunt design; Gordon Lam, Richie Jen and Albert Mak sharing insights from their years of industry experience and the behind‑the‑scenes stories from Rob N Roll; and Louis Koo with Sammi Cheng reflecting on their long-standing collaborations and their work with different filmmakers on Rob‑B‑Hood and Blind Detective, respectively. These showcase how Hong Kong filmmakers from different generations have worked closely together both on and off screen, building the exceptional paak zyu soeng chemistry and team spirit. At the same time, professional action teams unveil the magic behind Hong Kong‑style special effects.