Josie Ho attends HIFF with ‘The Mage’ film
Josie Ho, producer Conroy Chan and Iman Taheri represented 852 Films at the 46th Hawaii International Film Festival for the North American premiere of the supernatural thriller The Mage. The Pang Brothers-directed film appeared in the Spotlight on Hong Kong section with support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco. Organisers, critics and audiences gave the team a warm reception. Josie stated she had waited 20 years to finally attend the Hawaii International Film Festival. She recalled that Dream Home had been selected years earlier but she could not attend in person. In 2022 Onpaku was invited yet she remained in Australia to care for Conroy after his life-threatening aortic tear, recording an apology video outside the ICU. Four years later Conroy has fully recovered. The group included Iman, the surgeon involved in his treatment who has since moved into acting. Festival organisers and fans found the doctor-turned-actor life-and-death reunion connection striking. Josie said with a smile: It feels like a postponed appointment that has finally been kept — and now we have one more new friend and rising star, Iman, with us.
The team received an enthusiastic welcome. Fans queued for selfies and autographs before and after the screening. Before entering the cinema Josie told the camera she was 0.00001% nervous about the audience reaction. Inside she gave the better central seats to audience members and media while sitting with Iman on the side. The cinema seats had foldable tables. Josie quipped that this table is big enough to eat an entire meal and playfully mimed eating, revealing a youthful mischievous side.
During the post-screening Q&A foreign critics found the subject matter fresh and asked repeatedly about its religious rituals and folkloric elements. Josie introduced how Taoism is deeply rooted in Hong Kong society and recommended the mythological stories in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, highlighting their richness and appeal. She noted the trip also carried the responsibility of promoting Hong Kong cinema and traditional culture. When asked what subject she most wanted to film next she said she hoped to make an anti-bullying story, describing bullying as a distortion of human nature. Having faced various forms of bullying since childhood and witnessed many such incidents after entering the entertainment industry she jokingly called herself a phoenix reborn from bullying and expressed her desire to address the issue through film.
The Mage is co-directed by Oxide Pang and Danny Pang and produced by Conroy. It stars Josie as the scavenger-medium Lan Pui-ching alongside Iman, Carlos Chan, German Cheung and others. The film had its world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, opened the Midnight section of the Bangkok International Film Festival and later screened at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. The Hawaii visit marks its North American premiere and symbolises the team’s successful international journey with the film.
Founded 20 years ago, 852 Films is known for its curiosity-driven, non-mainstream genre films. The Mage continues the company’s exploration of Hong Kong folklore and supernatural themes. The film has already been released in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.
Josie, who loves water-skiing, has been unable to take part for years due to an old ankle injury. The hotel offered a stunning ocean view and seeing people surfing from the window every day rekindled her passion. She could not find the time to embrace the sea. The team stayed only two days before rushing back to Hong Kong to prepare for the next premiere in Indonesia.
