ifva

The 30th ifva Awards

Open Group Finalist Showcase

Programme 1

Open Group Finalist Showcase

9/10 (Fri) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 83' | HK$ 85/68*

Landing On Ice

Jane Leung

Hong Kong / 22'41'' / In English and Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Hong Kong figure skater Wing Yee traveled to Toronto alone for advanced training, aspiring to compete on the international stage. Encouraged by her coach and peers, Wing Yee experienced significant improvement in her skills. Her roommate, Christy, was friendly and welcoming, which helped Wing Yee settle into local life smoothly...

Passing By

Leung Chak Long

Hong Kong, Taiwan / 25'00'' / In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

An ophthalmologist numbs his past with eye drops, drifting into visions born of childhood trauma. When he meets a mysterious patient named Pin-Hong, the line between reality and illusion begins to blur. As his assistant Eve prepares to leave his fractured world, he must face a painful choice: to remain in the gentle comfort of illusion, or to truly see the world as it is.

Burning in Dreams

Benson Koo

Hong Kong / 11'43'' / No dialogue with English subtitles

Memories of dreams are like a piece of paper filled with words in our minds, leaving only burnt fragments upon waking. If these memory snippets are edited together, would it be a documentary of nightmares? Or a stream-of-consciousness short film akin to collage art...

Life (cycle) of the Hong Kong Newt

Fung Hon Shing

Hong Kong / 09'50'' / No Dialogue with Chinese and English subtitles

A Hong Kong Newt once resided in a narrow irrigation channel, believing it would be confined there forever. However, an unexpected flood swept it away, carrying it through a dark passage until it arrived in a serene, azure pond. The newt found companionship among its kind and thrived in the aquatic haven. But as it ventured back onto land after the breeding season, it encountered unforeseen threats.

Boiling Point

Ying Ze

Hong Kong / 13'27'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

Lao Dong, a regular at the bar, gets into a heated argument with two livestreamers. To prove his toughness, he’s forced to drink 120-degree boiling water in front of a crowd. As the temperature rises, so does the number of onlookers, both in the bar and online...

Programme 2

Open Group Finalist Showcase

10/10 (Sat) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 89' | HK$ 85/68*

The Red Kiss

Steve Li, Chan Tsz Kwan Amy

Hong Kong / 24'28'' / In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles

Two 16-year-old girls, Qian and Vicky, are torn between the lines of friendship and romance, unsure where they truly stand, as they rehearse for a love drama in summer holiday. Before the school starts, the secret kissing plot is exposed and their show is banned. Yet, it unfolds Qian’s courage that she decides to make a bold move on the first school day.

Eternity in the Universe

Tong Ho Yin Thyestes

Hong Kong / 23'00'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

After their parents divorced, a brother and sister were placed in a foster home by social workers and learned to take care of each other. Millennium bug crisis, doomsday prophecies, times go by, nothing remains the same...

Mint Condition

Tsoi So Man

Hong Kong / 23'30'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Lok Chen, a primary school student, was sent by her father to a school that champion perfection. Anything that is less is intolerable. With a grading scheme of either a full 100 or 0, those who fail to perform to perfection will be modified for improvements. Soon, Lok Chen discovers that the system itself is flawed with dystopic intent. Will she survive the system now becomes the question.

Once upon a time there was a Mountain

To Chun Him

Hong Kong / 17'20'' / In Cantonese, English and Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

At the end of summer, a group of friends bid farewell to their childhood with a final football match and embark on a daring escapade, each about to embark on a different path in life.

The 30th ifva Awards

Asian New Force Finalist Showcase

Programme 1

Asian New Force Finalist Showcase

11/10 (Sun) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 119' | HK$ 85/68*

Green Lake

Zhu Lin Wei

China / 29'57'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

A noir tale of love, revenge, and self-redemption. In a decaying phosphate fertilizer factory in Yunnan, Hu Xin, a boiler worker haunted by the childhood drowning of a playmate, meets Li Yue—a girl who eerily resembles the one he lost...

kitty_kitty_katxxx

Diệu-An

Vietnam / 28'36'' / In Vietnamese with English subtitles

The story begins when Bà Phán, a 70-year-old widow, whose life is bound within the kitchen’s walls, walks in on a strip show of her granddaughter (Nhiên, 18-year-old) in her room, to the camera, on a cam-site. Angry and ashamed, Bà Phán judges Nhiên as equal to being a prostitute for doing the cam-modeling work...

Side A: A Summer Day

Wan Kin Fai

China / 21'54'' / In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

If Fei finishes his summer homework on time, his mother promises he'll get the toy he's been dreaming of. Today is the last day of summer, but Fei's mother doesn't seem to be keeping her promise. Things don't go as Fei had planned. On the last day of Fei's summer, he decidesto spend the day in a different way.

We Will Follow The Wind

Demon Wong

China, France, Hong Kong / 18'30'' / In Mandarin and Cantonese with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Teenager"Rat" was abandoned by his partner during a theft before the typhoon, and encounter anger from security guard and his family. He tries to take out his anger on his partner, but their violence is interrupted by the typhoon.LA OÙ LE VENT NOUS MÈNE

All Our Emotions

Si Jun Chen

China / 19'59'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

In a frozen border town of Heilongjiang, a sixteen-year-old boy is diagnosed with a hidden condition at a clinic, yet has no one to confide in. Within a desolate Mongolian-style folk park, his secret feelings for an oilfield captain come to a head—only to confront the icy weight of reality in a snow-covered car on a winter night...

Programme 2

Asian New Force Finalist Showcase

23/10 (Fri) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 117' | HK$ 85/68*

A Soil A Culture A River A People

Viv Li

China, Germany / 14'28'' / In Mandarin, English and German with Chinese and English subtitles

In a dystopian future where borders between countries are indefinitely closed, a replica of Hannover becomes the only way to experience Western culture. Citizen Yu roams around this nostalgic yet eerie town built by the memories of the past. What does he really see?

The Wayward Bird

Lee Seung Jae

South Korea / 28'15'' / In Korean with English subtitles

Sangjae, a janitor at a university, finds solace in birdwatching, his one and only hobby. But when a new campus building goes up, its glass facade becomes a death trap for migratory birds. One day, he notices Tom, an older janitor, quietly placing stickers on the windows to prevent more fatal collisions...

Wind Gap

Zheng Lu Xinyuan

China / 29'34'' / In Mandarin, English and Vietnamese with English subtitles

Ming, unexpectedly becomes pregnant in a dimming relationship, and her life seems to have come to a sudden halt. She embarks on a journey to the China-Vietnam border alone, encountering gods and ghosts.

Wasteland in Embers

Jia Rui Jie

China / 24'05'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

2012, Bashang Grassland, Hebei in China. A small town smothered by sand and unemployment after the coal mine shuts down. A girl with an intellectual disability lives with her grandmother, holding on to each other. When the grandmother suffers a sudden stroke, the responsibility of her care is passed around among the children...

The Last Jiangshi

Yu Chih Chieh

China, Taiwan / 20'00'' / In Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles

From ancient corpse-herding rituals to cult cinema, the jiangshi became a Chinese cultural icon. This documentary follows Lao Li, believed to be the last jiangshi alive today.

The 30th ifva Awards

Hong Kong & International Tertiary Students Group (Short Film) Finalist Showcase

Programme 1

Hong Kong and International Tertiary Students Group (Short Film) Finalist Showcase

16/10 (Fri) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 108' | HK$ 85/68*

Submerge

Yuen Wai Ho (City University of Hong Kong)

Hong Kong / 30'00'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Teenager ShingHo lives with his father and his young stepmother, Meiling. In their cramped home, water droplets and steam become silent conduits for suppressed desire. While ShingHo searches for traces of his late mother in Meiling, she feels suffocated by her husband's obsessive pursuit of an heir. A secret swimming lesson and a voyeuristic night culminate in a transgressive encounter in the kitchen. When a pregnancy test returns positive, the family’s fragile reality is fractured by a secret that offers no escape.

Wild Cards: The Disposable Man

Mitchell Hamal (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 21'22'' / In English and Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

A dapper “dead-body” cleaner faces a crazy day that leads to darkly funny moments as he confronts life and death.

Yuen Long Knight

Liu Ka Hang (The University of Hong Kong)

Hong Kong / 19'58'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

"At this moment, Grace has no idea that her younger brother is the superhero of this community.” The story explores Yuen Long's drug problem and its resulting generational trauma from a unique perspective— a “superhero" is someone who’s willing to shoulder greater responsibility than others...

The Taste of Pork Belly

Sophie Shui (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 20'03'' / In Min Nan, Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

The preschooler A-Mao spends his days fooling around and exploring with his little sister and his buddy A-Bao. When they are hungry, there are sweet potatoes and snails to eat, and from time to time A-Mao can also eat some of the pork belly that his mother has gotten as a "gift." A-Mao's childhood is free and happy...

Lou

Maria Kassab (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts)

Lebanon / 16'31'' / In Arabic with English subtitles

For Lou’s birthday, her father takes her on a carefully planned road trip, but the journey doesn’t go as planned.

Programme 2:

Hong Kong and International Tertiary Students Group (Short Film) Finalist Showcase

17/10 (Sat) | 3:00pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 106' | HK$ 85/68*

This programme contains Category III films and can only be viewed by audiences over the age of 18.

Cave

Tang Kwan Yeung (The Hong Kong Academy For Performing Arts)

Hong Kong / 23'48'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Nam is not going home tonight as he had an argument with his mum so he enters a gay sauna for the first time then he meets Fei, who is coming here almost everyday and addicted to sex.

The Final Grace

Wang Yu Chen (City University of Hong Kong)

Hong Kong / 21'00'' / In Cantonese with English subtitles

At the century's edge, southern China was being reborn in the fires of reform. One midnight, in a coastal Guangdong restaurant, a wounded Hong Kong gangster met a young thief. This encounter became his final grace — a decent meal.

Another Side of the Wall

Zheng Yi Hao (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 25'43'' / In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

After graduating from university, Jiawei’s relationship fell into crisis. He chose to stay in Hong Kong, while his girlfriend insisted on returning to her home country to prepare for the civil service exam. Their long-distance relationship gradually wore down their feelings and patience, yet neither was willing to compromise for the other, and so things dragged on...

Jumah

Liu Qing Lin, Ye Han Ling (Communication University of China)

China / 16'30'' / In Mandarin and Arabic with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Xingyue was born into a devout Muslim family in a central Chinese city, where both her mother and grandmother are practicing believers. Now nineteen, she increasingly feels how different her upbringing and identity are compared to her peers. According to Islamic teachings, altering one’s body is considered sinful. In an act of rebellion, Xingyue decides to get a tattoo...

Where the Rabbit Sleeps

Zhao Ying Yi (Beijing Film Academy)

China / 18'47'' / In Mandarin with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Ten-year-old Bao Lai learns that her mother is moving south with a new boyfriend—and taking her along. So she grabs her dying rabbit, picks up her friend Xiao He, and sets out to find her father—who disappeared from her life—and the shabby home she once shared with him...

Programme 3

Hong Kong and International Tertiary Students Group (Short Film) Finalist Showcase

17/10 (Sat) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 109' | HK$ 85/68*

THE BOWL

Abdulkadir Okan Kavak (Bilkent University)

Türkiye / 04'00'' / In Turkish with English subtitles

A homicide detective arrives at a crime scene to investigate the suspicious death of a man who reportedly committed suicide with a gun in his apartment. In order to uncover the truth behind what initially appears to be a straightforward suicide case, he begins to meticulously examine the eerie building and the crime scene...

(M)OTHER

Tsai Chi Min (Taipei National University of the Arts)

Taiwan / 27'54'' / In Min Nan, Mandarin with English subtitles

Today is A-Wei's last day, but it is her first day with Ching.

A Ceremony at Sea

Jin Pan (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 20'33'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

After the relocation of residents in 1978, Xiji Islet in Penghu became an uninhabited island. Yet the King Boat ritual continues to reside deeply within collective memory, symbolizing both the pacification of the deceased and a lingering sense of farewell. In the ritual, the body is placed upon the King Boat and released into the sea, drifting with the tides as a metaphor for the soul’s return and the cyclical passage of life...

Minute by minute

Chan Yan (Hong Kong Design Institute)

Hong Kong / 25'59'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

While other cities stop using batteries, Harbor City promotes the "Battery Project," claiming drinking battery water boosts immunity and memory. Five years later, 80% of citizens have joined. 70 year old Lan and her gifted 17 year old grandson, Tse Chun, live together. To surprise him, Lan saves up to buy a one year plan. Soon after, Tse Chun collapses during drama practice...

Embers Across The Tides

Chen Yan Lin (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 29'59'' / In Mandarin with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Xiaojing, a bright 16-year-old girl, longs to escape her small town and suffocating home, develops a fascination for Yixin—a stylish, intelligent tutor who returns from the big city after losing her job.

Programme 4

Hong Kong and International Tertiary Students Group (Short Film) Finalist Showcase

18/10 (Sun) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 105' | HK$ 85/68*

12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony

Qu Zhi Zheng (Beijing Film Academy)

China / 16'33'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

In the capital city of Beijing, a middle school is about to hold a flag-raising ceremony. However, the flag raiser, Feng Xiao, is struggling with a growing urge to step down. Unfortunately, this is not a gentle winter for him...

A Distant Spring

Kan Po Yi (Chung-Ang University)

South Korea / 30'00'' / In Korean, Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

“Where are you from?” For Ji-won, who was born and raised in South Korea to ethnic Korean-Chinese parents, this question has never been easy to answer...

No place like home

Tsang Shen Chieh (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 11'48'' / In English, Mandarin, Tagalog with Chinese and English subtitles

After a grueling night shift, Johney, a Filipino migrant worker who works in Taiwan, returns to find strangers clearing out her dorm—installing heavy machinery and claiming to “inspect the factory.” As tensions erupt, Johney fights to protect her home—and a secret she’s kept hidden inside.

Operation: Old Soldier

Ngai Chi Lok (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 16'14'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

The Land Recovery Department officer Dinner was ordered to carry out a land resumption mission on Carp Island. Teaming up with a talking rubber boat, root-people lurking underground, and a cow, they traversed mountains and rivers, employing various ingenious strategies to courageously breach the island's center and battle the legendary sniper homeowner who refuses to leave!

Tao

Yiu Kwok Hung Eric (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 29'57'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Jinzi accidentally wins the lottery, and the sudden wealth goes to her head. She hides the prize money and indulges in her own pleasures, yet she still has to deal with her unemployed husband's daily routines and quarrels, which gradually lead to a growing distance in their relationship...

The 30th ifva Awards

Youth Group Finalist Showcase

Youth Group Finalist Showcase

18/10 (Sun) | 3:00pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 47' | HK$ 85/68*

I’m LATE?!?!

Astraeus Ho

Hong Kong / 01'12'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A one minute short film where the main character finds themselves late for school.

Feel My Empty Soul

Nicole Wong

Hong Kong / 15'24'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

At forty, social worker Chan Sing Hei has had his passion eroded by the relentless grind of reality. In a carpark, he meets Hei, a sixteen-year-old clutching a bunch of keys, stubbornly searching for a "nonexistent exit" he believes it will bring freedom...

Shadow

Chung Ka Ka

Hong Kong / 06'10'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

On an ordinary school day, Yin skips class to look for Hei, who is resting at home, in order to confide in him about his own delusions.

Nurture

Kyra Lam

Hong Kong / 13'45'' / In Cantonese, English, Indonesian with Chinese and English subtitles

When a global pandemic shuts Hong Kong’s borders, hundreds of thousands of foreign domestic workers are stranded far from home. Among them is Sonia, a strong-willed Indonesian domestic worker whose world is shattered when she learns that her mother has died. Unable to return home, she takes it upon herself to organize the funeral from afar, piecing together a final farewell through a livestream thousands of miles away...

Golden Haze

Ashley Kwok

Hong Kong / 11'00'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

"What I’ve always been chasing after, was not more than a thin layer of Golden Haze. However, I have never once realised, what lies beyond the shining mirage." A top student, haunted by the pressure to succeed, finds her rigid equilibrium disrupted when she stumbles into unexpected journeys and quiet moments of self realisation through external circumstances...

The 30th ifva Awards

Animation Finalist Showcase

Programme 1

Animation Finalist Showcase

11/10 (Sun) | 2:00pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 60' | HK$ 85/68*

Roboy - Surround Sound

Yee Kwok Leung Emil

Hong Kong / 15'11'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

In a whimsical world where sound is used as energy, noise is collected and turned into round little “Noise Pellets” that power the city. When an accident sends the pellets flying everywhere, greedy troublemakers rush in, and a curious young machine finds itself caught in the chaos. Through a noisy, funny adventure, the Roboy discovers that sound isn’t just noise— it can also carry comfort and peacefulness.

So He Grabbed the Knife

Sam Kuwa

China, Japan / 12'16'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

The boy takes the knife his father once gave him. Did what followed make him a “man”?

Buzzing Bees

Tsoi Yuk Yan

Hong Kong / 06'38'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

The story follows a gray bear who ventures from the forest searching for a more fulfilling life in the city. She makes a concerted effort to imitate human actions and conceal her true self, worried about being uncovered. One day, a small bee flies into her house, unknowingly marking the beginning of her journey to escape her struggles.

Wind Goes On

Eric Lee

Hong Kong / 15'00'' / In Cantonese with English subtitles

Fung, a girl who grew up in the old Hong Kong public housing, was having her last year in the primary school. The old estate was about to demolished and rebuilt, neighbours and friends were leaving gradually. Although Fung knew this would happen, she could not let go of the feeling of parting. One day, in this fading homeland, Fung made a special friend.

Boundaries

Yee Seun

South Korea / 10'23'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A passenger on a bus reclines their seat too far back. This small gesture shifts the balance of the space, leading everyone on board in an unexpected direction. 

Programme 2

Animation Finalist Showcase

11/10 (Sun) | 4:00pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 63' | HK$ 85/68*

Foreign Bodies

Wong Ching Yee Lysander

Hong Kong, United Kingdom / 03'30'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A simple itch descends into an outbreak with many legs. Certain things will always find their way to the surface.

A Tree

Mark Wee

Singapore / 09'15'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A sacred tree is desecrated as land is cleared for urban development and a migrant worker suffers from unexplainable afflictions. Fearful of repercussions from reporting a work incident, a worksite foreman attempts a cover up and learns of histories that haunt the land.

Wildfire Wandering

Zhang Kang

China / 26'56'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

A girl, after experiencing family breakdown, alienation from friends, and despair toward her surroundings, turns to distant mysteries in search of belonging, only to find everything as fleeting as illusions. In the end, she finds herself within.

Depths of Light

Step Cheung

Hong Kong / 13'00'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Refraction changes how we see, teaching us to face different sides of ourselves and to understand that each similar image is, in fact, a part of who we are.

Widespread

Paz Bernstein

Israel / 09'32'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A woman’s visit to the gynecologist stirs collective trauma while revealing a timeless feminine bond.

The 30th ifva Awards

Tertiary Students Group (Animation) Finalist Showcase

Tertiary Students Group (Animation) Finalist Showcase

10/10 (Sat) | 3:00pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 68' | HK$ 85/68*

GOOD DAY!

Wu Ting Cheng (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 06'50'' / No Dialogue with English subtitles

Irene spends all her time struggling to come up with ideas in a dark and damp rented room for a writing award, eventually collapsing from overwork and hallucinations. After she fails to show up, her friend drags her outside into the sunlight, leading her to realize the importance of getting out and relaxing.

Ostrich Express

Zhu Tian Chen (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 03'48'' / In English with English subtitle

Ostrich Express is a courier company dedicated to ultra-fast delivery. All the ostriches appear to be united, working hard, and hoping to prevail in their competition with Cheetah Express. But the truth is, short-term interests have driven a wedge between them. The pawns devour each other over a mirage, while the puppet master watches from the shadows.

Whirl

Yim Hiu Tung (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Hong Kong / 05'50'' / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

The two sisters woke up on the tram and entered a city that felt both unfamiliar and familiar. Initially, they happily wandered through the streets, but the atmosphere gradually turned strange. The younger sister led the older sister in a continuous escape, weaving through various alleys until they reached a grassy field...

To Renée

Coral Huang, Phoebe Law (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Hong Kong / 07'45'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

"The once-thriving city, now overtaken by strange fungi and vivid greens, a girl returns to her unfamiliar hometown, seeking traces of humanity's past. Unknown creatures gaze upon the ghost from that bygone era, she shall be reborn anew in mother’s embrace. Yet this is nothing more than a mundane moment in one fine spring."

RED＆BLUE

Pan Tsai Ying (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 04'13'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

The protagonist sets out on a journey to find a missing friend. As he continues onward, he enters a forest and is drawn to a strange-looking flower. A glimpse of his friend leads him to a vast field of flowers, where he finds his friend. He sees…

Stacy

Lin Yi Ling (Taipei National University of the Arts)

Taiwan / 08'51'' / In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

Toothbag's friend commits suicide, she wraps her regret in anger, trying to let go of her chaotic emotions, can't help but frequently flip through her past memories, but still couldn't accept it. In an unexpected dream, Toothbag had a heated conversation with her friend, was reminded to read the suicide note carefully...

NAYZAK

Elio Sahyoun (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts)

Lebanon / 11'38'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

In a world shattered by chaos, meteors rain from the sky, and life struggles to survive. Rok, a once-passionate sculptor, is turning to stone, paralyzed by the loss of his wife and young daughter. Overgrown with vines, he sits motionless, consumed by grief. His young son, Ray, who shares the same tragic loss, refuses to surrender...

Fishual Effect

Mok Yeuk Shan (Hong Kong Metropolitan University)

Hong Kong / 06'45'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

Moving to a new city, young Ng Chi Yau watches in horror as his parents frantically devour strange fish feed spewing from filthy pipes. As they begin to mutate, Chi Yau shockingly uncovers a brutal commodity chain: "humans turn into fish, slaughtered for feed, and harvested for gold coins." Racing home, he is greeted by his parents...

TAKE A SEAT

Chuang Tzu Chun (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 08'09'' / In Mandarin with English subtitles

A journey to accompany the lost. Through the voyage of Hailey, Gubo and Tata, we aim to be there for you during your lowest moments. We want to say maybe wait a little longer, maybe stay just a bit more.

Outshine

Eliza Keating (National Taiwan University of Arts)

Taiwan / 04'00'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

One day, the light in one lighthouse burns out. When the keeper replaces it with an even brighter bulb, it sparks the competitive spirit of the keeper across the water. The two soon become entangled in an absurd duel of increasingly outrageous lighting upgrades. As their one-upmanship escalates, they seemingly forget their original responsibilities as lighthouse keepers…

The 30th ifva Awards

AI Creation Finalist Showcase

AI Creation Finalist Showcase

19/10 (Mon) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | 92' | HK$ 85/68*

Acheiropoieta

Cao Shu

China / 12'29'' / In Japanese with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Acheiropoieta traces the spectral connections between photography, radiation, and AI through the human shadows left on Nagasaki’s walls after the 1945 atomic bombing. Combining archival images with early AI glitches, the work explores technology as a medium of inscription, memory, and collective fear, where images become traces of absence and connect the living with the dead.

Poor Devil

Chen Li

China / 07'36'' / In English with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Twenty years ago, a drunk young man was driving through the city at night when he collided with something that could never be clearly identified. The police investigation led nowhere, and his memory of that night—blurred by neon lights, alcohol, and fear—became fragmented, like a corrupted digital signal. He was sentenced to prison, yet one crucial question remained unanswered...

THE POST

Akinori Ikuse

Japan / 09'47'' / In Japanese with English subtitles

A story about a red cylindrical postbox in a certain town and a young boy who is about to move overseas. The boy, an elementary school student, learns how to write letters during a library class and decides to drop one into the postbox without writing a recipient’s address...

sighnight

Jake Low

新加坡 /11'48'' / In English with English subtitles

A family that appears ordinary on the surface grapples with the weight of expectations, secrets, and the haunting echoes of cultural traditions during a reunion dinner. Tensions escalate when Father demands to meet Daughter's fictitious boyfriend, leading to confrontations that unearth painful truths, shattering the family peace...

Pyre

Chen Si Yuan

China / 06'52'' / In Min Nan with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

Set in a coastal fishing village in southern China, Pyre drifts between sea wind, ancestral worship, and the quiet violence of old beliefs. Here, water carries both birth and death. Bloodline weighs heavier than a name, and love is slowly twisted into duty, debt, and sacrifice...

A DOLLAR STORY

Qiu Sheng

China / 10'00'' / In English with English subtitles

A single dollar bill, spanning a century, has been traded, robbed, given away, gambled on, worshipped, discarded, imagined, and finally returned to dust. In the short film, this dollar bill traverses film history, from The Great Train Robbery to film noir, and all the way to the present day. Each segment represents a film genre, and also a form of desire...

Silili and Tree

Eric Lee

Hong Kong / 15'00'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

The desire for balance seems a fundamental aspect of our nature, deeply rooted in our genes. Silili & Tree is a story delving into the idea of balance, not just for individuals but also for communities and the wider world. By seeking balance, Silili harnesses the power of frequency and resonance to embark on a transformative journey towards becoming a tree spirit...

Treehugger

Mufasa Yu

Hong Kong / 07'04'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO HUG. BUT THEY HUG ANYWAY. In a land of damp mist, a wooden doll wanders, carrying a quiet longing for connection. There he meets a fragile young tree, equally awkward, equally alone. Neither knows how to hug. Yet, what begins as a tentative reaching out soon dissolves into a fever of desire—a slow descent into an attachment too heavy for such little souls.

The Tale of the Peony

Liu Yu Qing, Sun Jin Tao

China, Hong Kong / 07'57'' / In Mandarin with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles

The Tale of the Peony is an AI-generated experimental short film inspired by the life of the late Tang dynasty poet Yu Xuanji. After entering a Taoist convent, Yu Xuanji buries a lock of her hair in the courtyard, and the peony there gradually takes on an eerie crimson hue. A young scholar, Wang Sheng, comes to visit out of curiosity. Their brief encounter soon triggers a strange calamity...

Never was

Ao Ieong Weng Fong

Macao / 03'08'' / No Dialogue and Subtitles

A man struggles to survive in the bleak ruins of a post-apocalyptic world. For him, pain and delusion are one and the same—a desperate gateway to feeling "alive." When existence itself loses its meaning, nothing else truly matters anymore...