European Premiere | In Competition
Hong Kong, 2026, 131’, Cantonese
Directed by: Philip Yung
Screenplay: Philip Yung, Gabriel Ng, Word by Word Creative Team
Cinematography (color): Leung Yau-cheong
Editing: Jojo Shek
Art Direction: Ida Mak
Music: Sara Fung
Producer: Effy Sun
Cast: Elaine Jin (Muiday), Chung Suet-ying (Sunnie Lam), Edan Lui (Jay Lai), Jiro Lee (Lam Heng), Harriet Yeung (Charlotte), Nina Paw (Betty), Louis Koo (Mr Ma), Charlene Choi (herself), Michael Hui (Muiday’s husband), Larine Tang (betting centre staff)
Date of First Release in Territory: February 14th, 2026
A nutty Lunar New Year comedy was hardly the first thing one could expect from writer, director and producer Philip Yung. But this February the filmmaker best known for heavyweight true-crime sagas (
Port of Call,
Where the Wind Blows,
Papa) delivered just that with
The Snowball on a Sunny Day. Yung had spotted a gap in the 2026 festive-season lineup for something light and fun, and quickly leapt into production with a partly self-financed effort.
The result hits all the beats you’d expect from a traditional Lunar New Year film: a theme revolving around fate and fortune, family meetups, upbeat messages, and all sorts of random gags. The plot kicks off when film production assistant Sunnie Lam (rising actress Chung Suet-ying) is asked to buy a lottery ticket using the numbers her grandma (Elaine Jin) has been entering for years. It’s time for the new year’s HK$88 million Snowball Draw, so this one’s a biggie.
But when a disgruntled film extra blocks entry to a betting centre after an on-set run-in, Sunnie is unable to buy the ticket. That night the lottery telecast shows all of granny’s winning numbers get picked, and it’s later announced that there’s a single top-prize winner somewhere out there. Worried about letting the old lady down, Sunnie, her dad Lam Heng (Jiro Lee) and another film assistant, Jay Lai (Edan Lui), have to work quick to pretend the winning ticket was bought in time.
An elaborate plan is hatched while both Grandma and Lam Heng’s separated wife Charlotte (Harriet Yeung) are kept in the dark. As Sunnie and Jay somehow cook up a luxury home to move into, and the ruse gets ever more tricky and precarious, Yung leans in on not just the expected screwball comedy but also a messy family reunion and neighbourly care. From left field comes a fun inside look at filmmaking with sneaky jabs on behind-the-scenes industry happenings and the occasional obscure movie reference (
Taxi Hunter gets a nod, and another one featuring Charlene Choi riffs on the largely forgotten
Hidden Heroes). Also in the spirit of in-jokes, a running gag with a grouchy motorist spins out from a Cantonese football insult on a licence plate. Chung Suet-ying brings in a down-to-earth comic performance as the fretful lead, while the ensemble around her including screen veteran Elaine Jin play off each other for an involving family portrait.
The Lunar New Year film has seen a transformation over the past two decades, as darker, less-auspicious concepts have turned up in film lineups alongside the traditional family-friendly offerings.
The Snowball on a Sunny Day opts for a careful balance, and it’s here that Yung’s ability as a maker of strong dramas helps flesh out the narrative for emotional weight. Topics like dementia, illness and a broken family enter the otherwise bright and colourful picture, and at times sentimentality slides into raw tearjerker drama. Yet true to genre it’s the positive spin that cuts through: “families need to deceive each other once in a while” goes one line amid a slew of appeals to live life to the fullest and value the fate that brings people closer. Yung may be returning as producer later this year with another grim crime tale, but now we can safely add maker of popular family comedy to his list of talents.
Philip Yung
Philip Yung became involved in film and TV production in 1998, and wrote and directed his first feature film, Glamorous Youth, in 2009. Yung went on to write and direct May We Chat (2013) and Port of Call (2015), with the latter winning widespread acclaim and award nominations. 2022 saw the completion of Yung’s Where the Wind Blows, as well as the release of The Sparring Partner, which he produced, and his 2024 film Papa picked up three Hong Kong Film Award wins from 11 nominations. This February Yung had three films premiere: Cyclone, Love Go Go Go! and The Snowball on a Sunny Day.
FILMOGRAPHY
2009 – Glamorous Youth
2013 – May We Chat
2015 – Port of Call
2022 – Where the Wind Blows
2024 – Papa
2026 – Cyclone
2026 – Love Go Go Go!
2026 – The Snowball on a Sunny Day