The 17th Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1997 and took place on 26 April 1998 at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Carol Cheng and Cheung Tat Ming, during the ceremony awards are presented in 17 categories.

Ceremony for the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 13 April 1997 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Lydia Shum and Nancy Sit. In total, sixteen winners in fifteen categories were unveiled. Peter Chan's Comrades: Almost a Love Story became the biggest winner for the year with nine awards, setting the record for the highest number of categories won by a single film. The event also marked the last time the Hong Kong Film Awards was held while under British colonial rule.