In this black-and-white dystopian short, a young Cantonese-speaking man runs into trouble with authorities in a society where names are being replaced with numbers, and Mandarin has become the official language. Arrested and restrained in an interrogation chair, he’s treated with utmost suspicion, and must give a bogus confession to get home again. Ren Xia’s quirky, ultra-stylised political work reflects a desire among Hong Kong youths to safeguard rights and freedoms.
A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts who majored in directing, Ren Xia handled continuity for Peter Chan’s American Dreams in China (2013) before working with director Fruit Chan as a scriptwriter and assistant director.
After a fall makes her less mobile, an old lady is encouraged by her son to sell her flat and move to a new place with an elevator. She refuses to budge, and clings to the home, which holds memories of the decades she spent there with her husband. What’s more, she doesn’t want the place to go to disreputable property agents. Lam Chi-yu inspires appealing performances and creates a sense of place in this quiet drama, which reflects a disdain for shady property market practices, and highlights efforts to preserve memories of the city.
Lam Chi-yu is a graduate of the City University of Hong Kong’s School of Creative Media.
Nim Cheung (Joman Chiang) works at Bright Heart Suicide Prevention Hotline. She’s a top staff member, and talks a woman out of jumping in front of a train. Nim’s own life was turned upside-down when her daughter was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Her personal pain and her job become linked when her daughter’s devastated killer phones in. Strong material, plus a quality lead actress in Chiang (dubbed Hong Kong’s “queen of independent films”), make Ashley Cheung’s film especially effective.
(Ashley) Cheung Yin-kei is a philosophy graduate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her work as a screenwriter has included the feature film Vampire Cleanup Department (2017, screened at FEFF) and Radio Television Hong Kong TV drama episodes.
Classmates Lily and Joyce – one poor and the other well off – come together through petty crime in this school-days drama. First, rich girl Lily helps Joyce steal a phone, then she teaches her how to shoplift. Becoming more brazen, they turn to pickpocketing, until one night Lily is caught in an incident that could damage their relationship. Feibi Wong shows a flair for popular cinema in this short, which comes with engaging performances and attractive production values, including a bouncy score.
(Feibi) Wong Fong-yi graduated from the School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong.
Tim Youngs