.:.: press release

2009/09/04    [ pdf download ]

(4 September 2009, Hong Kong) Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards (ifva) is going to bring you a series of programmes and events between September 2009 and March 2010. Programmes include ifva’s 15th Anniversary Touring Showcase, which brings ifva award-winning works touring around the world; ifva shorts@bc displays the award-winning works in mainstream movie theatre; ifva+ preview showcases new works by ifva’s alumni and juries. Returning specials include ifva+, ifva greenlab, school tours and community workshops, not to mention the competition – the best way to start a career in creative industry.

“ifva is more than an exciting talent-finding competition” said Teresa Kwong, the Director of ifva. “It is an incubator that enables and facilitates fresh creative talents to start and further develop their career. Like the ifva mascot 66 on the poster designed by our alumni, postgal.com, we will move forward and ensure the creative seeds and saplings will grow well in moist and fertile soil.”
Guests including Pang Ho-cheung, Derek Kwok Chi-kin, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, JJ Jia, O Sing-pui and Clement Cheung Sze-kit kicked off the 15th ifva on 4 Sep, followed by showing three winning works of the past ifva competition: Vicky Wong Wai-kit’s Variable, George Wong Cheuk-hin’s The Chronicle of a Drawing; the Footprints of Time, and Elizabeth Law Sau-san’s Sleeping Culture of Tuen Mun. They all have garnered various awards at various local and overseas film festivals.

A Platform for Independent Spirit

To foster the professional development of its alumni, ifva has been working hard behind the curtain, sending winners’ works to various overseas festivals in order to cultivate international exposure and exchange. This year, ifva has been invited by Cornerhouse, Manchester’s International Centre, to curate a touring programme Hong Kong Snapshots which showcase the best and most engaging works from a new generation of women artists and filmmakers. Hong Kong Snapshots will be part of the Visible Secrets: Hong Kong’s Women Filmmakers, a film festival co-presenting by Cornerhouse and the University of Salford and celebrating the imagination and vibrancy of women working behind the camera in Hong Kong. All the directors of Hong Kong Snapshots are ifva alumni who have been making their career in the field, such as the rising star Heiward Mak, whose recent film High Noon has earned her acclaim and has achieved remarkable success; Yan Yan Mak, who has been working closely with Hong Kong pop singer Denise Ho and also the director of Butterfly; and Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan, whose work Lovers on the Road has just awarded as “The Best Feature” at the 8th South Taiwan Film Festival. The touring programme Hong Kong Snapshots will make its way around the UK and a presence at several European film festivals from October to January 2010.

ifva shorts@bc is a new collaborative project that enables a chance to see the award-winning works on the big screen! Starting from September, ifva will team up with one of the leading cinemas Broadway Cinematheque to showcase selected shorts along with bc Sunday programme, and many other not-to-be-missed shorts will also be coming up:

• Three Boys, directed by Leung Ming-kai (Gold Award, 14th ifva Open Category)
• Life Must Go On, directed by Sham Ka-ki (Gold Award, 14th ifva Youth Category)
• Variable, directed by Vicky Wong Wai-kit (Special Mention, 13th ifva Open Category)
• The Chronicle of a Drawing; the Footprints of Time, directed by George Wong Cheuk-hin (Gold Award, 12th ifva Animation Category)

Creative Minds, Creative Community

With the aim of enlightening media talents with abilities for the future, Adobe: ifva+ brings added dimension to the creative territories and offers various practically centered educational opportunities. Highly skilled creative experts including Eric Kot, Juno Mak, Pang Ho-cheung, Vincci Cheuk, Barbara Wong Chun-chun have joined us to expand the experience-sharing platform. Continuing the unique range of specialist support with the theme of “Interaction”, this year Adobe: ifva+ offers the audience an opportunity for interaction with the celebrated rapper MC Jin, the reputable MV director Vernie Yeung, the rising multimedia artist Keith Lam, and the renowned animator Tamshui. Come and get audiovisual stimulation, gain hands on experience and advice from professionals!

In its 15th edition, ifva has grown to become the pioneering promoter in the field. ifva+ preview is a new horizon to extend its role of nurturing creative vanguards to support sustainable development by showing ifva alumni or jury’s new work to the public. By late 2009, ifva proudly presents Fist of Dignity, a new film directed by Derek Kwok Chi-kin, the jury of Youth Category, whose debut feature The Pye-Dog made him known at film festivals outside of Asia, and the Best New Director of Hong Kong Films Awards 2009. A lot more creative works by ifva alumni and juries will be coming up to ignite the screen.

Hong Kong Arts Centre has sharpened their focus on community arts. ifva commits itself to this vision, maintains close links with the local community by offering school talks and workshops for the young creative forces. Major training fields include the Canon workshops on cinematography and a series of large-scale creative courses in North district. Furthermore, to tie in with the Other Learning Experience, a key feature of the New Senior Secondary Curriculum, ifva will join hands with the Hong Kong Art School and Hong Kong Institute of Aesthetic Education to provide multidimensional and comprehensive artistic activities for senior secondary school students. Stay tuned for further details.