ifva

The 28th ifva Awards

Open Category Finalist Showcase

Even a small spark could start a huge fire. To go with the flow or strike back are both valid choices in terms of human nature. The five short films of Programme One depict the complexity of urban humans.

Finalist Showcase Programme 1: 9/3 (Thu) | 7:30pm| Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 119’ | HK$80 / 64* |

With post-screening discussion

Lucky Cat

Yeung Kwong-chung

Col / 25'00" / In Cantonese, Putonghua and Shanghai dialect with Chinese and English subtitles

Fut, a parking attendant who believes in gods and Buddha, meets a mute one day during worship who reveals a secret to him. From that day onwards, Fut gets very lucky and wins a windfall. Meanwhile, massage girl Fei Fei and her friend Mei want to blackmail Fatty, a lustful taxi driver...

Blindfold

Riley Leung

Col / 25'24" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Kai-leung is enrolled in a Christian school by his single mom of Buddhist faith. The prefect tells him faith conversion can reunite him with his father in heaven, but not being a Christian has progressively made him a victim of ridicule. To retaliate, Kai-leung brings an army of Chinese religious statuettes to even the odds.

The Rest

Tsui Chiu-fai Teddy

Col / 29'59" / In Cantonese and Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles

Di is a hoarder who scavenges trash, collecting cardboard boxes and selling them to earn meagre living. By chance, she sees the staff of a funeral home throwing away paper offerings in the back alley and asks them to let her resell in the market. Selling paper offerings brings income, but she lost the most important things eventually.

As I Imagine My Body Moving

Elysa Wendi

Col / 30'00" / In Cantonese, English and Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles

A former dancer encountering a sudden health issue, unveiled a deeper scar that is concealed inside her for over 20 years.

FLY

To Chun-him

Col / 8'00" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

A group of delinquent tricks a middle-aged man and steals his phone. Upon checking the phone's content, they find a short sex clip. While noisily commenting on the video, they cause the displeasure of two children, without realising they are getting involved in a gang dispute.

Humans are not born to live alone, so we tend to find bonding with others. Therefore, we always find ourselves helpless in face of the different kinds of inevitable loss in our lives. In the five short films of Programme Two, such losses are told through various forms of narratives.

Finalist Showcase Programme 2: 10/3 (Fri) | 7:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 134' | HK$ 80/64* |

With post-screening discussion

A Long Walk

Elysa Wendi, Lee Wai-shing

Col / 15'43" / No dialogue and subtitles

Despite the long and winding road in the long dark night, after more than 30 years of dance life, he starts racing on this path again, perhaps for the very last time.

Trek of an Extinct Bird

Ho Lok-yee Gloria

Col / 28'21" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Decem has been participating in Garan's human rights movement, but the situation makes him feel exhausted and scared, and so he goes into the forest to seek refuge. Leaving his responsibilities behind, he feels relieved at first, but the longer he spends in the forest, the more longing and loneliness he feels, which makes Decem realise that the crisis would not disappear even though he has left Garan.

Lost a part of

Chan Hau-chun

Col / 30'00" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Stagnation in the body cannot keep up with the changes in real life. When memory of the trembling hand constantly haunts, when the cavity is filled by artificial materials - if body remembers, how should it respond with the years of traumatic past? Three of us, describing the indescribable body changes, try picking up the hints and signs.

April's Interlude

Erica Kwok

B&W / 29'47" / In Cantonese, English and French with Chinese and English subtitles

Shan is a cosmetician who runs a beauty salon business with her partner in a commercial building. When the government announces that beauty salons must be closed due to the pandemic, Shan is forced to stay at home with nothing to do and must confront a sudden onset of loneliness. Her ordinary life changes when she makes certain small connections.

Anatomy of Rats

Tam Sin-yeung Antonio, Wu Tin-long Tino

Col / 30'00" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

The head prefect Jaguar and vice-head prefect Smoker of a boarding school are responsible to discipline but break rules in secret. The rule of law that governs both good and bad students is disrupted when an unexpected accident alarms the school principal and affects the power balance of the two.

The screening of "Lost a part of" under "Open Category Finalist Showcase - Programme 2" will be cancelled due to the modification required by The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration. The film director decided not to screen the film. Other films in this Programme will remain unaffected.

The 28th ifva Awards

Youth Category Finalist Showcase

After two hectic years, young spirits are finally resuming their school lives and their creativity are all ready to be expressed in all different kinds of narratives. With the ten short films of the Youth Category, there are critical observations on the happenings around their everyday life, uplifting records of dream-chasers, and bitter-sweet love stories that are limited to the period of the pandemic.

Finalist Showcase: 11/3 (Sat) | 1:30pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 96' | HK$ 80/64*

With post-screening discussion

True Lights

Yeung Wing-k, Zhou Tsz-wun, Wong Zing-ting Cecilia

Col / 8'05" / In Cantonese with no subtitles

The True Lights singing competition that was cancelled due to the pandemic is finally resumed. The protagonists have made a promise to take part in the competition, but Tsz-yan is under pressure from her friends' expectations, school, and family, and has a difference of opinion with Yu-ching. Among chasing, giving up and being arranged, what is the real choice?

Dream to the Sky

Lam Tsz-yuen, Lee Yan Yoana

Col / 5'19" / In English with English subtitles

There are certain stereotypes when it comes to princesses in fairy tales: they fall in love at first sight and wait for a prince to live happily ever after. Our version of Rapunzel escapes the tower with her bold actions, unlimited courage and creativity. She has always dreamt of becoming a pilot by which she can explore the sky freely like a bird, so she designs a parachute and decides to pursue her dream.

Rewind

Ho Wai-wa, Sung Ting-hin, Lo Ching-laam

Col / 8'11" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

This is a story about a young girl who grows up in Kwai Shing West Estate and her courageous pursuit of her dreams.

Libra

Sung Ting-hin

Col / 23'49" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

An unknown artist starts to feel bored with his creations, until one day he dialogues with his own consciousness under a spotlight, and remembers the times when he was in school and did paintings alongside his seniors. He remembers his reasons for liking art in the first place and rediscovers his own values.

Bravocado Oliventure

Leung Man-hei Abby, Li Yan-wing, Chu Chi-ching, Deng Po-yan, Kok Sin-yau, Chan Yuk-kiu

Col / 7'55" / No dialogue and subtitles

June is the month of avocado. To celebrate this important date, the whole kitchen is decorated with avocados, where avocado becomes the new superstar of Bronterian's Kitchen. Olive, on the other hand, is desperate to make big dreams come true. What will happen if they meet? Can olive realise its grand ambition?

Cupid Rosewood is 14 Years Old

Choy Sin-man Jasmine, Tong Wing-tung Ilana

Col / 12'12" / In English with Chinese and English subtitles

Cupid Rosewood! Hopelessly showbiz, the type of person who belongs to a stage – somehow she ends up dead at 14. The film follows Cupid through her last year of life; understand her better, find out how her death comes to be! Was this fate born into the red velvet mesh of her favourite dress? Was it inevitable? (You'll never know!)

Recall

Chan Yik-tung

Col / 5'28" / No dialogue and subtitles

The protagonist lives in a free world, but out of curiosity, she has some dangerous encounter. In the end, she is oppressed by the big city.

overwatch

Chiu Ka-yin, Pak King-tai, Li Tsun-wai, Lei Yat-ming

Col / 6'03" / In Cantonese with Chinese subtitles

Watching and being watched. In a world where people are "amusing ourselves to death", we go on a journey of deconstructing truth. Is information technology a sign of progress or an instrument of harm? The boundary between individuals is being dissolved. This is overwatch, where sci-fi turns into reality.

Looming

David Lau

Col / 3'53" / No dialogue and subtitles

A student union election sparks online bullying. The protagonist is harassed, attacked, publicly judged and even doxed by unknown forces. His victimiser plays hide and seek with the protagonist, who is about to break down when he discovers that…

THOSE DAYS

Woo Ho-fung, Chiu Tsz-chai, Cheung Wai-kit, Li Hung-pan, Ip Cheuk-han, Fung Yuk-lam

Col / 14'51" / In Cantonese and Putonghua with no subtitles

Woo is a cross border student who must stay home in Mainland during the pandemic and take online classes. By chance, he comes to Hong Kong and stays at the home of his teacher, Chan. As they get to know one another, certain feelings develop. Will this relationship that came about because of COVID terminate when the pandemic comes to an end?

The 28th ifva Awards

Animation Category Finalist Showcase

Animators believe there are emotions, visions and humanities that can be fully expressed through their brushes and strokes, and it has always been such determination that makes animation a unique narrative form of its own. In the hands of ten different animators from Asian region and Hong Kong, the numerous faces of human lives are illustrated and highlighted.

Finalist Showcase: 3/3 (Fri) | 7:30pm| Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 83’ | HK$80 / 64*

With post-screening discussion

THE SQUARE CITY

Chow On-wa, Liu Ka-lok, Lam Ruth (Hong Kong)

Col / 6'34" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Living in the cramped conditions in Hong Kong makes people feel confined, like being trapped in a square. People are oppressed by their environment, their lives are deprived and they feel unable to change. However, Bong has not lost his will to be free like a bird and still maintains his longing for beauty.

Uncle Babysitter 2

tungwood (Hong Kong)

Col / 5'57" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Uncle and nephew get into an argument over watching TV, but the uncle accidentally kills the nephew?!

Mui

Wong Weng-chon (Macao)

Col / 7'31" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

During a short trip, a young man and his grandmother are confronted with horrible memories. Amidst grandma's usual nonstop nagging, it feels as if suffering will persist simultaneously in the past and the present.

My Dear Son

Lilian Fu (Hong Kong)

Col / 8'52" / No dialogue and subtitles

In a capitalist city, Rose unexpectedly gives birth to a cat. The baby doesn't behave as an ordinary baby and Rose struggles to love him. Rose tries her best to change him, even if it means changing his true nature. To find a connection, she learns to love him for whom he is, just to remember something she has forgotten for a long time.

Lost in a Waltz

Li Ji-tian (Taiwan)

Col / 8'56" / In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

Returning to a house that holds nothing, a mother misses her mother.

Patient's Mind

Wang Zhiheng (China)

Col / 6'05" / No dialogue with Chinese and English subtitles

The metaphor of the doctor-patient relationship is used in the work, which shows the process of the protagonist's inner self and superego, the fight for the subject right between the present and the "preset future", and the endless cycle between the present and the "preset future" in the doomed failure of self-salvation.

Well Wishes My Love, Your Love

Gabriel Gabriel Garble (Malaysia)

Col / 9'02" / No dialogue and subtitles

Newly orphaned and freshly wounded from an immense loss, a boy lends his companion a prosthetic arm for the day. The companion would then expose the prosthetic limb to a mélange of textures and materials, whilst documenting the whole process. As the moon inches closer and closer towards the sun, the boy sees something unusual reflected on the water's surface.

Everywhere

Step C., Ng Kai-chung (Hong Kong)

Col / 9'25" / No dialogue and subtitles

Missing someone is a kind of pain, and missing someone who's already passed away is even more unbearable. This film uses the story of the life and death of two kittens and metaphorical images to let the audience enter the world of cats and contemplate the theme of life and death, and consequently find relief for those feeling trapped.

Elephant in Castle

Lee Yuk-ki Florence (Hong Kong)

Col / 4'45" / No dialogue and subtitles

A 2D digital animation using a hand drawn frame-by-frame process to create subtle abstract narratives. Created within the context of two strange years, 2019 and 2020, the work expresses a constant change within the director's inner world. It depicts the emotional, aesthetic, and tactile responses that she has to Hong Kong, the city where she grew up.

A Guitar in the Bucket

Kim Bo-young (South Korea)

Col / 14'51" / In Korean and English with English subtitles

In a world where you can rent everything from vending machines, a girl wants to be a guitarist, but people choose otherwise for her.

The screening of "Elephant in Castle" under "Animation Category Finalist Showcase" will be cancelled due to the modification required by The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration. The film director decided not to screen the film. Other films in this Programme will remain unaffected.

The 28th ifva Awards

Asian New Force Category Finalist Showcase

Struggling identity crisis, unreasonable outfit constraints, hidden discriminative details of new technology... in five short Asian films of Programme One, social issues are depicted with acute attention beyond country borders.

Finalist Showcase Programme 1: 4/3 (Sat) | 3:30pm| Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 101’ | HK$80 / 64*

Neither Nor

Ong Soon-teik (Malaysia)

Col / 25'00" / In English, Malay and Putonghua with English subtitles

Three Chinese students, who are about to graduate high school are filming a sensational video. They wander the land of Malaysia with rebellion and confusion. They seek validation and a future, yet they invalidate themselves. All three are torn between "leaving" and "staying," struggling in a pessimistic racial environment, searching for answers that have been unanswered for years in their "neither nor" Malaysian identity.

Split Ends

Alireza Kazemipour (Iran)

Col / 14'15" / In Persian with English subtitles

A bald woman and a man with long hair try to get out of paying fines when traffic cameras catch them for not wearing a hijab.

Grey Solar Game

Seemonta Halder (India)

Col / 24'44" / In Bengali with English subtitles

This is a story of three siblings. Changing times changes situations, along with it changes the people, which might not always be for the better. The siblings are plunged into one such time in which living, rather than accepting the change, marks catastrophe.

The Lighting

Musquiqui Chihying (Taiwan)

Col / 21'30" / In Cantonese, French and Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

The film explores the kinaesthetic notion between the body. Togolese photographers are testing devices that can compensate for insufficient exposure when shooting dark skin tones; a newly developed camera algorithm is very popular on the African continent; and in addition: the production of a Kung Fu movie with a computer-generated voice of Bruce Lee. The Lighting aims to revisit and clarify the issue of discrimination rooted in technological development and image production through an interdisciplinary exploration.

I Have No Legs, and I Must Run

Li Yue (China)

Col / 15'06" / In Putonghua with English subtitles

An athlete who has passed his prime is struggling with his injuries. The arrival of a talented new member of his team plants the seeds of jealousy in the athlete's mind.

The flashback of good old memories, the struggle of ordinary citizens to make a living, the desperation of finding missing family members, the five Asian shorts of Programme 2 reflects the cultural differences of traditions and values through the mundane clips of everyday lives.

Finalist Showcase Programme 2: 4/3 (Sat) | 7:30pm| Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 94’ |

Little Yellow Flower

Lin Chien-ping (Taiwan)

Col / 29'55" / In Taiwanese and Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

Looking at his paralysed father, wrapped in diapers and ants crawling all over his body, A-nan recalls his painful childhood memories. When he sprays insecticides to kill ants again, can he unravel the long-frozen father-son relationship and restore the loving beauty of the yellow flowers that once bloomed in the courtyard?

Please Hold the Line

Tan Ce-ding (Malaysia)

Col / 18'30" / In Cantonese and Putonghua with English subtitles

A young scam call operator is thrust into a moral dilemma as she navigates a life-changing situation.

Kalaal

Nithin John (India)

Col / 8'15" / No dialogue and subtitles

Daily struggles of a shoe polisher mirrors the hierarchy and inequalities which are deeply rooted in the society. The film unveils his / her plight to buy a new pair of shoes for the protagonist's little girl.

Graveyard

Ali Daraee (Iran)

Col / 14'13" / In Persian with English subtitles

A young mother in Iran has lost her baby due to negligence, but the presence of the father is required in order to get a burial permission. She strives to find his / her missing husband and by the elapse of time, she is involved in more serious issues.

Big Day

Chiang Chung-chieh (Taiwan)

Col / 22'59" / In Taiwanese and Mandarin with English subtitles

In the afternoon, a middle-aged married couple are taking a walk by the harbour and having a fight when they meet an old acquaintance who they haven't seen for a long time. On the way, they walk past the Mazu temple where he proposed to her, which reminds them of how things used to be.

The 28th ifva Awards

Jury Recommendation

Ten short films and animations recommended by the jury each of which being a gem of one's own.

Jury Recommendation Programme: 5/3 (Sun) | 4pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 159’ | HKD80/64*

The Egret River

Liu Wan-ling (Taiwan)

Col / 19'56" No dialogue and subtitles

Among the tall buildings of the city, the lonely guard hides a beautiful field that no one knows and meets an egret there. The expansion of the city never stops, and when one day the field is destroyed, and the egret escapes without a trace, the lonely guard begins to see mysterious illusions.

Interview with Lo Ting: An Oral History Project

Chu Ka-shing (Hong Kong)

Col / 15'01" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Lee Sin-yu wants to make a documentary about a friend and his dementia grandfather, who would occasionally say that his wife is "Lo Ting". Lee Sin-yu set out for the fishing village of Tap Mun to begin filming, and starts to understand the dark side of Lo Ting that has been hidden in history.

Asian Extra No.1

Chen Ying-ji Oliver (Hong Kong)

Col / 13'05" In English and Putonghua with English subtitles

A black comedy of the Asian experience in America: Bryan, a 2nd generation Chinese American who dreams of acting, one day auditions for the role of "the Chinese Guy" in a Hollywood film. He encounters a radical Chinese new immigrant Tiger, and finds himself confronted of his authenticity.

All the Things You Leave Behind

Chanasorn Chaikitiporn (Thailand)

B&W / 18'15" / In English and Thai with English subtitles

Thailand's strategic position and political orientation made it the ideal ally for the United States during the Vietnam war. Through an astonishing mix of contemporary and archival images, the film deploys precise criticism to analyse a little-known page of modern history, emblematic of contemporary power games and warfare.

&More

Ho Tsz-wing, Luk Long-man, Pun Tsz-wai (Hong Kong)

Col / 3'11" / No dialogue and subtitles

& MORE draws from the architecture of the M+ museum in Hong Kong which challenges the definition of a museum by looking at it as an object itself. Through a geometric play of shapes and forms in the M+ building, we explore what underpins our material world.

A Question

Lee Po-chi (Hong Kong)

Col / 24'47" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

The three sisters of the Chou family reunite after a long absence at their father's funeral, and embark on a supernatural journey to unlock their family's secrets. The three of them search for the spirit of their father because the middle sister wants to ask him a pressing question.

The Silent Whistle

Li Yingtong (China)

Col / 18'15" / In Putonghua with English subtitles

19-year-old girl Ming is a loner who works night shift in a convenience store. One day near the spring festival, her neighbour Rui invites her for a "special" dinner, which summons up her hidden past.

Love Letter

Luk Wei, Hu Changjun (China)

Col / 7'58" / In Putonghua with English subtitles

Qiang, who is aphasia, has been single for many years and has been afraid to express his love for Xiao Wen, a visually impaired masseur in a small town. He can't speak, he can't tell, and doesn't know how to tell. He should not tell.

See You in...

Mok Ka-hei (Hong Kong)

Col / 29'32" / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles

Facing the demolition of his world, 24 year-old musician Jack roams his city for one final look as he prepares for their inevitable farewell, seeking an answer and meaning to his departure from this world.

THE SPRAYER

Farnoosh Abedi (Iran)

Col / 8'34" / No dialogue and subtitles

In the land occupied by the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow anything, so the people and soldiers never know how to grow a plant or how one looks like. One day a soldier finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.

All About Us 2022/23

Student Creative Film Showcase

ifva's "All About Us", a creative media education programme for ethnic minority youths, has trained up young creatives on video production and acting in the guidance of teaching artists in the past 13 years. With numerous shorts produced, stories of the city from different aspects have been told. The four short films produced by students from the 22/23 cohort depict struggles on identity and the pain of growing up, and the absurdity of everyday life with a twist, are all distinctive angles of telling the stories of this city.

5/3 (Sun) | 1pm | Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre | DCP | 53′ | Free Registration | With after-screening discussion

Naughty Ghost

Abila Jerwin Ace, Ali Farwa, Daniel Joash Pesquera Cabio, Faiza Khan, Jeison Samsohang, Mirandilla Harvey Nathan H, Mohammad Hassan, Shahzadi Kinza, Taibha Younis
Teaching Artist: Buber Mak

Col/ 13’00” / In English and Urdu with English subtitles

Jeison wants to be a YouTuber so he and his friends decide to make a short film on a fictional ghost story of their school. They explore the school, and after a horrible incident, his classmates disappear…

Unknown Feelings

Bilal Shamaz, Danial Yasin, Ghalam Hassain, Habib Ul Rehman, Khan Linqat Zaman, Khan Waleed Cabrera, Nihal Ahmed, Rana Mohammad Hassan
Teaching Artist: Wong Fei-pang

Col / 10’33” / In Cantonese with English subtitles

Two brothers get labelled because of their skin colour. The elder brother ignores it and moves on with his day while the younger brother decides to put on baby powder so that the people who said he is smelly would play with him. This is how these brothers' lives go on every day.

Eillie Billie

Imran Yashaa, Khan Baddar Ali, Lam Sai Yuk Johnmar, Mohamed Noohu Mohamed Yahya, Sairuh Keara Nori Pesquera Cabio
Teaching Artist: Bipin Karma

Col / 17’18” / In English and Urdu with English subtitles

A fatherless high school student, Mohan, hits a jackpot upon finding stacks of cash only to find out they are drug money. In the midst of being chased down, he goes through a series of dilemma with money and relationship.

I am a Woman in My Family

Dlinawaz Saadnawaz, Gurung Selinna, Harveer Singh, Khan Muhammad Diyan Khan, Khan Shazil Rehman, Limbu Dipti, Qamar Imaan, Qamar Salikhah, Waniya Iltaf
Teaching Artist: Chan Ho-lun Fredie

Col / 12’32” / In English, Urdu and Cantonese with English subtitles

Growing up in a family with only men, Waniya never has a mother figure to guide her through mental and biological changes. She attempts to make a film on her struggles but it makes her even more frustrated. During such difficult moment, her crew member Salikhah and other fellows become her ultimate support.

Supported By

Hong Kong Arts Development Council fully supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.