2. Film Selections
Short Film 1) Islander (Drama, Taiwan, 2021, 24’)
Directed by Wu Zi-en
Set in the near future, an old man takes his grandson Sammy on a long journey. Travelling from the far south, his sole purpose is to visit his only son, a long-detained political prisoner charged with secession and subversion. A subdued conversation ensues as the incarcerated tries to communicate with his silent son. Before the time is up and he is taken away, he pleads: ‘My son, do not let them make you forget me.’ The desperate roar is his last reactionary appeal echoing under the peaceful silence of the new order. Shot in black-and-white, this cautionary tale by director WU Zi-en is written out of imagination for the future and the resolution to never forget.
The director chose to set the film in Taiwan and during the island’s own ‘White Terror’ period, as he is worried that Taiwan may fall under the Communist Party rule. He described it as a fable about Taiwan’s imagined future. The film did not meet Hong Kong censors’ approval.
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Short Film 2) The Dancing Voice of Youth (Experimental, Hong Kong, 2021, 21’40”)
Directed by Erica Kwok
A girl with a mysterious background arrives at the city, whose existence gradually becomes as light as the floating air. In the dark night of a chaotic age, must we live like spectres?
It is an experimental film featuring metaphors about “the social unrest and what happened in the city” in recent years. The film received a “special mention” in the 27th ifva Awards, however it cannot pass the Censorship Authority as the authority said it could incite hatred of the government and it contained “ungrounded statements” that could mislead viewers into thinking the government abuses its powers to curb the protests.
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Short Film 3) Lost Pearl (Drama, Hong Kong, 2021, 21’)
Directed by Steve Li
While protests rage in Hong Kong, Kit spends most of his time on his father’s fishing boat. The radio and his phone keep him abreast of the latest developments. He sometimes meets with friends, but his uncertainty about the future just keeps increasing.
It is a drama which was rejected by the Broadcasting Authority/ local TV station from showing on TV programme “Sound And Vision”.
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Short Film 4) Bonus film
In order to protect the identity of the director, the information of the film will not be disclosed in publications.
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