Hybrid stays for now

Last year, when the Hong Kong International Literary Festival turned 20, it was the city's only arts festival allowed to hold live events, the dates luckily fitting into a window between venue closures. Festival director Catherine Platt, who stepped into the job at the height of the pandemic, admits there was some nervousness among festival-goers in 2020. Ultimately a hybrid of online and on-site programs saved the day.

A year later, the HKILF's The Rebound Edition kicks off today as a hybrid for the second time. The decision to retain the virtual component of the HKILF was partly a response to ongoing travel restrictions, but just as much to the success of the 2020 event. The hybrid format, "added another element and another way for us to interact with authors," Platt says. "People who wouldn't necessarily have accepted an invitation to come to Hong Kong are more likely to do a virtual event. And attendees can choose to stay home and watch events online."

COVID-19 is reshaping the arts sector, and accelerating digitization trends that were simmering only two years ago. "Digital ways of interacting have just been pushed to a new level," argues Platt, noting that she'll probably keep the hybrid format for future occasions, even after the situation becomes more conducive to hosting a live event. In the current edition, the hybrid shows are either live, online, or a combination that sees authors overseas dialed in to a live audience while a local speaker participates live. While Platt can't wait to start bringing authors back to the city, she respects digital platforms' ability to reach more readers.

HKILF 2021 features stellar writers from overseas, including bestseller Paula Hawkins (The Girl on the Train), Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow), and Damon Galgut (The Promise), who took this year's Booker Prize. New in 2021 is a Festival Weekend, designed to encourage venue hopping, concentrated around Asia Society, Tai Kwun and The Fringe Club.

"I wanted to find a way to capture the live buzz that you only get with a room full of people who are readers and are asking questions," Platt said. "There's nothing quite like that."