Open Category

Youth Category

Animation Category

Interactive Media Category

Asian New Force Category

Open Category Jury Meeting

Jury Members: Ann Hui, Yip Yuk Yiu, Shek Kei, Lorna Tee, Vernie Yeung

ifva representatives: Teresa Kwong, Kattie Fan

Ann Hui: I like《disabled novel》, which I find quite refreshing and interesting.  It handles the juxtaposition of different realities very well. Very often those of us who make films or are involved in creativity may observe people on the streets, but it is hard to come up with fresh ideas and feelings. This film gives me a lot of feelings. Also it is very quiet, and uses very few elements.

Shek Kei: The director only used subtitles.

Ann Hui: Usually such works are hard to do because they can often appear cliched and boring. But I was never bored when watching this film.

Shek Kei: Is it because it is short?

Ann Hui: Perhaps, but I didn’t mind. I just kept watching, and I felt that its observations and the feelings it creates are exactly those that I experience when I am in this city. Usually films like this are hard to do well, but I was never bored.  I don’t very much care for 《The Ripple》. The director tried his best, and the filmmaking is alright. The plot is a bit unexpected and the story-telling is good. The acting has the same problem as all student films, which is a bit amateurish. Perhaps they cannot find good actors, yet this film really needs some. I think this work ought to be encouraged, but its technique is a bit too standard. I don’t particularly like it, but it is a promising work.

I really like that documentary about the granny, 《This Pair》. The director’s power of observation is very good, and she is good at capturing the relationship between the family members. The scene where the mother and granny quarrel is good, and the shot with the mother sitting on the bed with her leg up is especially well-done. The best part about the film is showing them reconciled and having tea. The director touches upon different layers, for example, with one or two scenes she manages to show how the uncle’s wife treats the family. I find the film multi-layered and rich. As a documentary it is objective, yet at the same time shows the director’s concern and involvement. That’s why I like the film very much.

《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》 is more standard. It is a good work that strives to find the balance between Confucianism and rationality. The use of shots and their lengths are well thought-out. The director likes to use visual means to express his feelings towards the protagonist, like showing him at work and selling vegetables. Even though these scenes are sometimes boring, they are nonetheless meaningful. Most young directors are afraid of boredom. In portraying the protagonist’s labor, the director shows objectively that he likes this sort of life. For a young director, this is a good attitude.

Lorna Tee: His technique is more conventional.

Shek Kei: I think the works this year are more conventional, proper and professional. The works do not attempt to be experimental. Some of them are lacking from a story-telling point of view. For example 《The Decisive Moment》 is very professionally done and has a good subject matter concerning the ethics of photo journalists. However he could have delved more deeply, the ending is too predictable and some scenes are too contrived. 《The Ripple》 is not bad, but his story-telling is questionable. At the end the family gathers for dinner, the mother cries, but when she says that the father really loves the family, it is as though the conflict the film has built up is completely resolved. Yet the audience wants to know whether the father is having an affair with the other woman, who seems to be merely his colleague. It is as though a chunk of the story is missing.

Lorna Tee: The story-line sets up certain things, but everything gets resolved as a result of one line.

Shek Kei: This shows his story-telling technique is somehow lacking. However other parts of the film are alright.

Vernie Yeung:《The Ripple》 is the most mature work among the finalists in terms of both lighting and acting.  My favorite work is 《This Pair》, which moved me the most because the director dealt with a subject close to her. She understands the whole situation.  The first work I looked at was 《Crimson Jade》, then 《Cell》, followed by 《The Ripple》 and 《This Pair》. When I watched 《This Pair》 I felt that it had won. 《The Ripple》 and 《This Pair》 have similar subject matters. I think that people who start out making films should begin by exploring subjects they are familiar with. 《This Pair》 uses the director’s own family as the subject matter, which moves me a great deal. If it wasn’t a documentary, it would still be a very good film. It follows the mother to the toilet, films them quarrelling, and  people talking on the taxi. Many scenes leave an impression with me. 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》has similar technique, but the main subject is not someone the director is familiar with. Neither film is boring. 《This Pair》is great because it tells the director’s own story, and you can easily feel her point of view. However I feel that she should not have interjected.

Shek Kei: This is based on real life. If the director feels she has something to say, she says it.

Vernie Yeung: I feel she should not have interjected at one point.

Lorna Tee: She and her mother are cut from the same cloth.

Vernie Yeung: When the granny cries she butts in.

Shek Kei: She felt she wanted to speak, so she spoke up. I don’t think she needed to censor herself. Even though she never appears on camera, she puts herself in the work right from the start. Many scenes are very real, but her boldness lies not just in her honesty, but the fact that she shows us a lot of private things. It even makes me wonder if I should be watching this.

Vernie Yeung: I feel this film is like a revenge.

Shek Kei: Luckily the film is saved by the ending. That scene with the whole family is very important. If it was just family quarrels then the film would not have been worth seeing. When I was watching it I felt I was intruding on this family. Luckily the ending scene saved the film.

Vernie Yeung: What moved me was seeing the granny and mother reconciled at the tea house the next day. This is a powerful ending.

Shek Kei: I think this film deserves a prize. It has a depth that other films lack.

Vernie Yeung: I think film is an audio-visual medium, but 《disabled novel》lacks the audio dimension. I don’t know what to do with my ears when I watched it. It thought there was something wrong with the DVD.

Yip Yuk Yiu: The ten works represents an interesting phenomenon. Usually I like works that are raw, but I don’t have any strong feelings towards 《This Pair》. Some works are too refined and formulaic. I think two of the works manage to strike a balance between the two qualities. They are 《21 years after.》and 《17.9 18 18.1》. They both have good technique, yet are personal and have a sense of rawness. The directors of both films are my former students, and the director of 《This Pair》is also a former student. The themes of both 《21 years after.》and 《17.9 18 18.1》are quite personal, but they use conventional filmmaking techniques to express them, and the execution is quite fine. Both works are almost like personal filmmaking with minimal crew, but the end result is quite fine, which I respect. I don’t judge a film as fine or raw or its own sake, and I think both films strike a balance between the two.  Both directors of 《21 years after.》and 《17.9 18 18.1》are in their early 20s. The technique of 《21 years after.》is not new. It combines realism and narrative elements. The director is a young man who had just graduated, and he made this film after he left school. It is a film about politics and growing up, and is full of youthful spirit.  It is ambitious in telling a story about his own political views, and the film combines the real and the imagined. By contrast, films like 
《Crimson Jade》and Fresh Wave works have funding support and are guaranLorna Teed exhibition, and they are more conventional in form. 《21 years after.》was made by the director on his own accord after he graduated, which is rare to see.

Vernie Yeung: 《21 years after.》uses a Bible quote at the beginning, which turned me off, but that’s just a personal thing. After watching this film, I definitely think this film is worth recommending to others.  《Crimson Jade》tells a realistic story, but its style is far from realism.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I don’t care for 《Crimson Jade》. This issue should not get such a treatment. I think it overly prettified, and it overly anesthetized the subject.

Vernie Yeung: In terms of cinematography,  《The Ripple》 is the most pretty and unpretentious, but I find it too mature. The execution, for example the editing, lighting and visuals are quite outstanding. But when I watched 《This Pair》I found the message is much stronger, and  《The Ripple》pales by comparison.

Lorna Tee:《This Pair》is very honest, but《The Ripple》is a bit melodramatic, like a soap opera.

Ann Hui: I am ambivalent towards 《21 years after.》. Its cinematography is very film school-ish, and I didn’t like it at first, nor did I find the story very convincing. However I sense the director’s conviction as the film progressed, and I became affected. At first I didn’t like his mannerism as well as the casting choices of the mother and the protagonist, whose acting skills are so-so. Some scenes are very melodramatic, like the scene where he runs on the street as he listens to the radio show, and the technique is copied from classic cinema. However in the scene with Tsang Kin Shing I sense his integrity, so I think this film ought to be encouraged. All the finalist works have great potential, and you can see the directors’ conviction and beliefs in many of them. Even though many of the films are independent, their techniques are taken from other films. They are not as explosive as the indie films of old.

Lorna Tee: The ten works are not independent or creative enough. They are all good works, but none is very independent or creatively outstanding.

Ann Hui: Actually 《Cell》, 《Styx》and 《17.9 18 18.1》are not so Confucian- they are more crazy. The story of 《Styx》is quite absurd, yet its acting and lighting made me believe in the story. The boy is especially good. It is a flawed but interesting work, and makes me think about the presence of evil in the world and what to do about it. The structure of《Cell》is interesting and the story is meaningful. I like 《The Decisive Moment》. It should be an epic, but there is not enough time to develop the story. It only contains key moments, so the effect is a bit dramatic. Overall all the finalist works are very promising.

Lorna Tee: Yet I don’t see any exciting new voices among them. The ten finalists all have their good points, but none contain things I haven’t seen elsewhere before.

Ann Hui: All the works are flawed, and their flaws are in direct proportion to the work’s ambition. The bigger the ambition the bigger the flaw.

Shek Kei: Is 《The Decisive Moment》base on a true story? Did people really shield bullets with their bodies? If it is true a lot of people should know about it.

Vernie Yeung: The film interviews a guy at the end.

Shek Kei: That’s an actor.

Lorna Tee: Perhaps it’s adapted from a true story.

Vernie Yeung: 《17.9 18 18.1》 has a great deal of creative freedom. A lot could be decided in the editing room. It is an experimental film, but I find it not experimental enough. It is a bit passé, and reminds me of experimental films from the 1970s. Whether deliberately or not, even the sound effects have a 1970s feel.

Lorna Tee: Because they want to try something experimental, it is best to use a low-tech method, which would be more fun as well. Using more modern methods would cost a lot of money. Since it is low-tech, it has a 1970s feel to it.

Vernie Yeung: In this day and age, experimental works appear out-dated.

Shek Kei: Many mainstream and non-mainstream sci-fi films like to return to the past, which is not a problem. The story of 《17.9 18 18.1》is not convincing, and there are not sufficient sci-fi elements. The cinematography is alright, but not expressive enough. You say 《disabled novel》should have an audio dimension, but you can treat it as a silent movie. Yet the film is too simple.

Vernie Yeung: Even silent movies have music.

Shek Kei: Not always.

Vernie Yeung: Maybe this is just a personal reaction.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I don’t have very strong feelings towards 《disabled novel》, but I think it consciously uses the lack of sound to achieve an alienating effect. The absence of sound can be a sound strategy as well. I’m not saying it uses this strategy well, but when watching it, I understood why the director does not want me to become too involved in the story. I was very self aware when watching it. There are no true silent films in the world. By not having sound you are already making a statement that you are deliberately excluding sound. He turns language into a textual element and puts it in the subtitles, and he does it in a self-conscious way, even though it’s not done very well because the text is too fragmented. The ten works do not include any confrontational or aggressive experimental works. 《disabled novel》deliberately challenges certain expectations by purposely not giving me certain pleasure, which I understand. Yet I agree that the ten works are not too strongly experimental.

Vernie Yeung: 《disabled novel》 is more like an installation than a film.

Yip Yuk Yiu: If it was an installation it would have been a failure because I would leave after 30 seconds. Now you are forced to watch it in discomfort. You want to wait and see if the sound would come on.

Ann Hui: Whether or not the works are experimental is not the most important concern, but whether the works are interesting. The ten works are derived from the humanistic tradition. They talk about people’s lives, be they positive or negative, and seriously and intelligently explore social issues. For example  《21 years after.》, 《This Pair》and 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》have a neutralizing, almost moralistic attitude. This is a good thing. They are not just concerned with the medium and visual elements, but are about the artists’ points of view. These are the most important qualities in a work, and will make these films endure the test of time.

Vernie Yeung: 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》 is good, but it reminds me of a TV documentary.

Ann Hui: Should we give awards based on whether the work has potential or whether it has integrity? The two are different.

Shek Kei: Every person can have his or her own standards, and we can bring them up for discussion.

Vernie Yeung: I think we judge whether or not it is a good film, not whether it is experimental, its technique is old or new, or whether it is complete. We should just select a good film.

Lorna Tee: But there are many ways to define what is good.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I think we can recognize a director’s potential with special mentions, and the grand prize should go to good films.

Shek Kei: Many films are morally sound. 《The Ripple》 is about familial love, 《The Decisive Moment》 talks about journalistic integrity. Yet 《Styx》does not try to be good. Actually in real life, many people think about revenge.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I agree that 《Styx》is more morally ambiguous. It also has good art direction. However I don’t think it manages to probe the dark side of the soul, and it is lacking in terms of editing and mise-en-scene. Compared to other works, its theme is rather unique, yet the ending is too light. It would have been better if the director went all out.

Teresa Kwong: Please select three favorite works, or vote to eliminate works that have no chance of receiving prizes.

Yip Yuk Yiu: There are no outstanding works this year. The ten works are all somehow flawed.

Ann Hui: I choose 《This Pair》, 《disabled novel》 and《Crimson Jade》.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I choose 《21 years after.》, 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》and 《17.9 18 18.1》.

Shek Kei:  《This Pair》, 《Styx》, 《The Decisive Moment》.

Vernie Yeung: 《This Pair》, 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》and 《the ripple》

Lorna Tee: 《Styx》, 《21 years after.》, 《This Pair》.

Teresa Kwong: Nobody voted for 《Cell》, so we can eliminate it. 《This Pair》got four votes, while 《Styx》and 《21 years after.》each received two votes. Can we decide on the Gold Award now?

Shek Kei: I think the Gold award should go to 《This Pair》.

(Ann Hui, Vernie Yeung and Lorna Tee agree.)

Teresa Kwong: Aside from 《This Pair》, are there other nominees for the Gold Award?

Yip Yuk Yiu: Purely as a point of discussion, I recommend 《21 years after.》.

Shek Kei: Both 《21 years after.》 and 《Crimson Jade》are propaganda pieces in the sense that they aim to propagate certain messages.

Lorna Tee: 《21 years after.》is not the kind of propaganda that the mainstream can embrace.

Yip Yuk Yiu: 《Crimson Jade》is propaganda, but I wouldn’t describe 《21 years after.》this way. It is a film with a certain political stance.

Vernie Yeung: Is what it tries to propagate correct?

Shek Kei: That depends on your point of view. I have no problem with propaganda as long as it is well made. 《21 years after.》has its own moral stance, while 《Styx》tries to probe the complexity of human nature.

Lorna Tee: There are no good guys in the film. They are all bad.

Ann Hui: I agree that this director has potential. He forces me to think about things I would not otherwise consider. The cinematography is good, like the scene where he teaches the girl how to use a knife, and both of them have their backs to the camera. The color in the fairground scene is very garish. Its visuals, lighting and acting make me believe in this world. However, the story is flawed.

Vernie Yeung: I was not convinced by 《21 years after.》at first. By the end I felt this film is worth recommending to others.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I suggest giving the Silver Award to 《21 years after.》.

Lorna Tee: I agree, because there are very few such films in Hong Kong.

Shek Kei: There are programs like that on TV, like during the 5 District Resignation movement.

Lorna Tee: I don’t care about the political message of 《21 years after.》. Politics is just a way for this young person to engage with this city. The way he initiated the project himself, and made it with almost no crew shows a strong independent spirit.

Ann Hui: I vote for 《Styx》as the Silver Award winner. As a documentary 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》is honest and believable, yet I don’t think it has any spark.  Compared to 《21 years after.》, I find 《Styx》more impressive.  I would give the former points for its political conviction and conviction, but its plot is more commonplace and lacking in imagination.  I think the technique of 《Crimson Jade》is good, and the technique and vision of 《Styx》is better than 《21 years after.》.

Shek Kei: 《Crimson Jade》is very professional, but it is too deliberate and pretentious. For example, everything in the police station and the clothes are all green.

Lorna Tee: Can we give both 《Styx》and 《21 years after.》the Silver Award?

Yip Yuk Yiu: I think that’s acceptable.

Vernie Yeung: I agree.

Teresa Kwong: Which work should get special mention?

Vernie Yeung: I vote for 《Crimson Jade》. It’s shocking to me in a low-key way.

Lorna Tee: Actually its filmmaking is anything but low key. Perhaps the acting is, but the treatment is very heavy handed.

Ann Hui: I know Cheung King-wai well, and I’ve commented on the rough cut of this film, so I shouldn’t say anything. However this film has won a lot of overseas awards. Technically it’s one of the best works in this competition. So if you were to exclude it, you should give an adequate explanation.

Vernie Yeung: Technically, 《The Ripple》is better than 《Crimson Jade》.

Ann Hui: 《The Ripple》is technically sound, but not outstanding.

Vernie Yeung: 《The Ripple》is very standardized.

Lorna Tee: 《The Ripple》is very preachy. It tells you that you should go home and have dinner with your family.

Ann Hui: I don’t mind that. The actors who play the son and daughter are both good.

Shek Kei: But its story is not complete enough. As for 《Crimson Jade》, one way of looking at it is that it has already received many awards, so you should give other works a chance.

Ann Hui: That’s not right. All the works should compete on an equal basis.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I agree with Ann. But I don’t think 《Crimson Jade》is that creative, and it is not independent enough. I don’t see the director’s point of view. It is just a well-made film. It doesn’t excite me.

Ann Hui: I don’t have to choose 《Crimson Jade》. I’d rather vote for 《The Decisive Moment》, since its aesthetics and casting is interesting.

Yip Yuk Yiu: Special mention is a special award, and many works deserve to be recognized. For example, the casting of 《The Decisive Moment》is interesting, and 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》is simple but has its own well-considered aesthetics. Its subject matter is rare to see, and not over-aesthesized. The director is self conscious about what he is doing, and the film strikes just the right notes.

Vernie Yeung: I agree. I think the protagonist in 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》is quite attractive and real. Even though I cannot hear some of what he says, I nevertheless think he is charming. The other visual elements are beside the point.

Lorna Tee: The director treats a very current topic with restraint, which is commendable.

Ann Hui: This film matches ifva’s spirit.

Shek Kei: But it’s too much like a RTHK program.

Yip Yuk Yiu: It is quite poetic, and is above the level of most RTHK shows.

Lorna Tee: It has a certain romanticism. It makes me want to be a farmer!

Shek Kei: I vote for 《The Decisive Moment》.

Teresa Kwong: So far the works nominated for special mentions include 《The Decisive Moment》,  《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》and 《Crimson Jade》.

Yip Yuk Yiu: It is only special mention. There is no prize money involved.

Ann Hui: Let’s vote to decide.

Shek Kei: This film tackles a big subject. The portrayal of the world of news is very realistic, which is hard to achieve.

Vernie Yeung: If he made this up, he did a good job.

(The jury members vote, and 《The Decisive Moment》receives 4 votes.)

Lorna Tee: I have something to say about 《The Decisive Moment》. The middle part of the film where the woman talks directly to the camera is awful.

Yip Yuk Yiu: I suggest giving two special mentions, the other one to 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》. The two films are very different, and it is appropriate to give special mentions to them, whereas I would not put them in competition for the Gold or Silver awards because they differ in quality. However special mentions can be used to recognize achievements in certain areas, so we can pay tribute to the production and casting of 《The Decisive Moment》 on the one hand and the subject matter and poeticism of 《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》on the other.

Vernie Yeung: 《The Decisive Moment》 starts off well. It hides a certain secret, but in the end I feel let down by the secret. The girl getting into a car accident is not a surprise.

Ann Hui: Are we giving out too many awards?

Yip Yuk Yiu: No, because special mentions only get a certificate.

Teresa Kwong: Our bottom line is that as long as you don’t give awards to nine out of ten works, it’s fine. The point of competitions is to award outstanding works.

Yip Yuk Yiu: The number of awards is about the same as previous years.

Teresa Kwong: Let me sum up. The Gold Award goes to 《This Pair》, Silver Award goes to 《Styx》and 《21 years after.》, while two special mentions go to 《The Decisive Moment》 and《Tsoi Yuen Villagers》.

Youth Category Jury Meeting

Jurors in Attendance: Chan Wing-chiu (CHAN), Kit Hung (HUNG), Adam Wong (WONG),
Heiward Mak (MAK), Chu Fun (CHU)
Organizer Representatives: Teresa Kwong (KWONG), Kattie Fan (FAN)

CHU:       Many works are quite meaningful but are technically deficient, or the cinematography is not so beautiful. My Story of Being A New Immigrant is one such work. It talks about new immigrants and uses subjective point-of-view shots, but because of its technical deficiency, it is not able to express what it tries to say. Some works may receive technical support or assistance from others, and are able to achieve more.

HUNG:     ifva’s rules state that half of the entrants must be 18 or under, so some works may get help from people with more experience.

CHU:       I guess My Story of Being A New Immigrant did not get much assistance, and I feel the directors went about it on their own. Perhaps they did not have formal training, and consider certain techniques very creative. In this film you never see the protagonist’s face, but just the hands. This makes it quite unique, although the end result is not very pretty.

HUNG:     What works do you think obviously had help from adults?

CHU:       Get to know me. got to know myself obviously does. You can see from the credits that White Box is from a certain school, so the film makers probably received technical assistance or learnt certain impressive effects in class, which allows them to make the work more beautiful. On the other hand, Sept Chiens Andalou does not use many effects, but it is a meaningful work that expresses the students’ dissatisfaction with school life. It uses a stream of consciousness approach that eschews conventional story-telling. I graduated with a Communications degree myself, and I took a cinema and television course in my first year, and the teacher showed us Un Chien Andalou. I didn’t understand it then. Now I see these students using a low-tech method to express their ideas, like being trapped in school, and they do so without getting very strong support from their school. wild kids is also a very meaningful work, and when I looked at the end titles, I realize it is because the parents are absent that the kids turned out that way. When I watched wild kids I laughed a lot, although this effect was not intended by the directors. I laughed because many of the actors probably helped out as a favor, and their acting skills were not that good, so the effect was funny. Also some of the scenes were humorous, like the one involving the sick dog, which was meaningful. On the whole, Besides Dreaming is quite complete and the photography is pretty. I think one of the directors probably lives there and that’s why they made this film. Some of the techniques used were very good and comprehensive, like the contrast between the drawing and reality. China in Expo is a very good documentary. It is raw and unpolished. I get what it’s trying to say. I am not sure whether the film makers intentionally made it looks this raw. Unlike a TV documentary, it leaves it to the audience to figure things out. The Storyteller is very pretty and the storytelling is good. You have to pay attention when you watch this, or else it would be easy to get lost. Paper/plane seems to lack an ending. I was expecting a more shocking conclusion, so I felt something is missing. I like The Gain when the protagonist say, “don’t force me to accept reality.” This film probably did not get much assistance, so the production is just so-so. The voice-over mispronounced the protagonist’s name, so I deducted marks for that.

WONG:    I come into contact with many young people who make films. From my experience, entrants of this edition do not get a lot of support from others. The most important consideration is whether the most distinctive element in a work is instigated by adults. I don’t feel this applies to any of the finalist works.

MAK:        I don’t feel any of the works have adult participation. Because it was associated with a theatre group, wild kids may have adults making adjustments to make sure that the work reflect the theme of “not leaving kids alone”, and they might have given their opinions. However, looking at the technical details, it is apparent that they did not get much adult help.

HUNG:     However, some of the shots like the one with the policeman and the opening of the wallet feel mature and adult.

WONG:    It is hard to judge whether they have adult participation, and we must not let entrants eel that it is wrong to get help from grown-ups. Young people should get help from adults as they grow up, and the question is how they absorb the information. As they learn about film making they will also reference other people’s works, so it is hard to say whether a work is influenced by other films or if it received direct adult assistance.

MAK:       In previous years you see many works that are influenced by popular films and television. However there are no such works this year.

HUNG:     Perhaps they had all been eliminated.

MAK:       A lot of times when you see more mature elements in a work, it is because the makers are influenced by media such as film and television. This year, the two works from Shau Kee School of Creativity shows obvious departure from mainstream styles.

WONG:    My essay talked about works from Shau Kee too. Their works are different from the rest. This has been the case for the last couple of years.        

HUNG:     Sept Chiens Andalou has the most video effects, but they are not executed well, so they have a low-fi feel. However the idea is good. When viewing a work I care more about the content and how original it is. Technically I only require that the work communicates well with me. It does not have to look beautiful.

CHU:       Many of its elements are simple but well done, like the scene where they are running up the stairs.

HUNG:    Sept Chiens Andalou has many classical elements, like the door that could not be opened, but it is done with originality and freshness.

MAK:        I think that its casting and acting is also interesting. It is divided into seven parts, each with a different director and cast. That’s the best thing about this work. All the stories revolve around the school, like male and female toilets and gender, all of which are oppressive elements imposed by the school on them. They use those classical elements well, and the shot division is good. It is clear that they did a storyboard and were well prepared. Even though the end result is very raw, they probably did a lot of preparation beforehand.

CHAN:     Among the ten works this is the most joyful. It is clear that the students had a lot of fun making it. This year most of the works are solemn, and the issues they care about are also heavy, and one feels weighted down after watching them. We don’t get the trashy works as we did in previous years. The only exception is wild kids with its use of canned music, which makes it even more precious. Most of the works are overly serious, and this is reflected in the makers’ attitudes.
CHU:       Perhaps they feel that for a competition like this one, they have to have socially conscious themes. Only Sept Chiens Andalou takes the point of view of today’s youths, and the work retains a sense of youthful innocence. The other works are too ambitious.

HUNG:     You can see some of the film makers trying hard to be adults, which is great. wild kids does not have this element.  In Besides Dreaming the protagonist looks like a secondary school student, but he is already working in an office wearing a suit. It is as if they know that when they grow up they will try to reclaim their lost dreams, which is interesting.

MAK:       The script of wild kids is typical and predictable, but the treatment is innocent, like feeding the dog medicine. The incidents are taken from everyday life, but are filled with childishness and youthful spirit. Its low-tech approach prevents it from becoming too stereotypical. The directors obviously have a feel for this subject matter, and uses music to enhance their point. This is an above-average work capable of delivering what the directors want to say. While watching Besides Dreaming I was close to tears.

WONG:    Besides Dreaming is a bit sentimental and takes for granted that old things are good and new ones bad. Actually building houses in villages is no simple matter, and adults face many problems in life that are more complicated than that presented in the film. Here their sense of sadness is seen as matter of course. However I agree that among the finalists this is the most touching work.

MAK:        I think we find it moving because of events in the past little while.

CHAN:     In many of the works we see these young people trying to dialogue with the times, including the film makers behind Besides Dreaming , China in Expo and wild kids, which looks at the world from a child’s perspective. Adults would not make these kinds of films. I agree that it takes things for granted, but that is also a reflection of the times, and I realty treasure the fact that they are using the camera to record the here and now. China in Expo is very courageous and patient and I admire it a lot.

CHU:       I admire the film makers’ patience.

CHAN:     They must have been standing in queue for three days or more, so their efforts should be treasured.
WONG:    Will we be discussing the works on by one later?

CHAN:     Is that necessary? If there are works that have not been discussed you can bring them up.

HUNG:     I think The Gain, Paper/plane and Sept Chiens Andalou are works that have the most distinctive styles. The Storyteller also has style, but it is more pretentious. The Gain also referenced other works, but is quite enjoyable.

WONG:    The least pretentious works are wild kids and China in Expo. I would whole-heartedly recommend the Gold Award winning work from last year, but this year, I feel many works are flawed. You can see the passion in China in Expo, but when I watched it the first time I felt it was very cynical and condescending by telling people that they should line up. At the same time it is very conscious of this attitude, and tries to incorporate other points of view and offers other ways of looking at the issue. As a work by a person under 18, it is very good. Nevertheless the viewpoint is not brand new or very shocking.

CHAN:    My opinion is just the opposite. There are two directors in China in Expo, one is adult, the other is a youth. When I watched it on the big screen today, I felt they deliberately put the interview with the Mainland Chinese guy in front, in which he says that this is the situation in China now, but you should give it time to Chan Wing-chiuge. This caused me to be more tolerant towards this film. When filming people cutting in queues, they are not mean-spirited about it, but rather take a wider perspective. In terms of editing, it does not just try to dig out the bad stuff about Chinese people. For example, the shots of garbage are not that severe.

CHU:       I have seen worse on news programs. Perhaps the film makers already did their best to look for garbage.

CHAN:     Maybe they did not have enough footage. However it is still the case that they are documenting the times. Paper/plane is beautifully filmed and pleasing to look at, although it is not that touching. It captures a youthful sense of ambivalence with carefully composed shots. Perhaps the director had been well-instructed by his teachers.

WONG:    The director is a student of mine. His previous work is also called Paper/plane, but this is not a sequel. I think the previous work is better. It is about a boy who dares not express his feelings, and a girl who cannot communicate with others, and the two characters come together through paper aeroplanes. This theme was better expressed in the previous work, and this current film is more ambiguous. This film maker’s grasp of cinematic language and art sense are good, but its technical deficiencies made what he wanted to express less clear.

HUNG:     In terms of style Paper/plane is the most original. I was especially impressed by the scene in which he sits down, and then you cut to a shot of the exterior. This happened more than once.

CHU:       Also the part where he tells other people not to be so loud, when in fact they are very quiet. You see the other people’s reaction, which is quite shocking.

CHAN:     This film captures your attention with its very first shot. It seems unassuming at first, but becomes more attractive as it goes along, and you don’t want to look away. It is quite a modest work; it doesn’t talk about any grand themes, but nonetheless is very meaningful. You leave the theatre feeling fulfilled. When I watched Besides Dreaming for the second time I still felt moved, and that feeling is hard to describe. The girl does not seem like she is acting; her performance is raw and sincere.

CHU:       At first I thought this film was too raw, but gradually I accepted it. It’s just like the protagonist who does not know whether he is in a dream or reality.

HUNG:     The dialogue is very obvious. It is mawkish yet heart-felt. 

CHAN:     That is why I like Besides Dreaming a lot. It is powerful and worth watching again. That 360 degree shot really touched me. That is the power of cinema. There is a lot that White Box wants to say, but the different segments do not hold together too well, and you suddenly feel like you’re watching another film. I had a great deal of fun watching Sept Chiens Andalou. Many shots are very symbolic. This school has participated in this competition many times. This work is a vast improvement over its previous efforts. While watching the The Storyteller again today I felt it was lackluster.              

CHU:       It is well made, and the characters and locations are good, yet the story and content lost me.

HUNG:     All its shots are well thought-out.
WONG:    It is unrelentingly pretentious, which gives the work a certain integrity.

CHAN:     On the big screen the work lacks power, while on the computer screen it is more palatable. The first part of The Gain is interesting, but the second half is incomprehensible. get to know me. got to know myself is far too long.

MAK:       What bothers me most is its music. It really affects how I read this work, and prevents me from becoming immersed in its world. I know that this work is sponsored by Skyhigh Creative Partners, and its intentions are sincere. But every time when the protagonist finishes speaking he would look down. The director could have edited out this part, but he didn’t, which leaves me wondering why. I imagine that there is a lot the director wants to say. I also wonder if what he’s saying is real.

CHAN:     I don’t think you should read too much into it. It is just a process of self-therapy. It doesn’t have very deep meaning.

MAK:        I don’t think it is very deep, but as a director I’d like to know why he needs therapy. It is worth considering the intention behind it. I think this work also dialogues with the times. Why do our youths dislike expressing themselves? Why do they choose this means of expression?

CHU:       When watching this work I felt it was too long. I wondered why I had to spend so much time getting to know this person. When he said that he does not dare to speak to other people and has to rely on making this video to communicate with others, I felt this provides a justification for the film. I think he intentionally made the editing fragmented. What his school-mates say is repetitive, and the interviewees do not seem to say what they really feel until the end, when they have to face the camera. If one has to rely on this film to get to know this person, the impression is not very complete.

WONG:    I find it too straight forward. It’s a bit like those TV specials on pop singers. I included this work among the finalists because it is a good attempt by a young person using video to express himself. However the work does not have too many levels. At first I was even a bit put off by it because I felt the director is too full of himself—why should I spend all this time to get to know you through this rather obvious work?

HUNG:     On our last meeting, we mentioned that at least we see the author reflected in this work, which is something lacking in many others.
CHU:       The editing is beautiful.

WONG:    His choice of locations shows he has a good artistic sense, but his self presentation lacks direction.

CHAN:     The self that he presents may be fake. The first half deliberately creates a certain image, and there is contradiction between the interviews and his self introduction. The most contradicting work is My Story of Being A New Immigrant, the film is like cross cutting between stories about three different people. I don’t know if this reflects the fact that the lack of agreement between the authors and their teachers.

HUNG:     I agree with Chan Wing-chiu that a work should capture you from the first shot. With this film, the beginning part where he recites a poem seems different from him as a person.

WONG:    This is a work worth encouraging, although it is not too successful. It is also an unbalanced work in terms of style and content, and there is a lack of consistency between talking about the individual and the big city. Sometimes it talks about the city as a whole, and other times it talks about his personal experience of growing up, which is strange.

MAK:        His use of a male voice-over and a female protagonist is also strange. I think he must have a reason behind it.

CHAN:    This film is based on a book. Perhaps he is citing text from the book. When making the film, the film maker diverged from the book. Also why is the girl in pigtails? Do all girls from the Mainland have pigtails? Let’s choose our top five works now.

WONG:    Actually this is a matter of taste.

CHAN:     I understand. I choose Sept Chiens Andalou, wild kids, Besides Dreaming, China in Expo and Paper/plane.

CHU:       Mine are the same.

MAK:       Me too, but I exclude China in Expo.

WONG:    I choose six: The Gain, The Storyteller, Sept Chiens Andalou, wild kids, Besides Dreaming and Paper/plane.

HUNG:     I choose The Gain, Sept Chiens Andalou, Besides Dreaming and Paper/plane.

KWONG:  Can we pick the Gold Award winner now? Or eliminate those without votes?

CHAN:     Sept Chiens Andalou, Besides Dreaming and Paper/plane got the most votes.

KWONG: Why don’t we concentrate on these three? In the past we have had two Gold Award winners, or two Silver Awards but no Gold.

WONG:    I don’t think that’s worth doing this year.

MAK:       If we do not give out a Gold Award, the entrants may feel deprived.

HUNG:     In my mind, it’s a choice between  Sept Chiens Andalou and Paper/plane.

CHU:       For me it’ between Sept Chiens Andalou and Besides Dreaming.

WONG:    I like Besides Dreaming.

MAK:       Besides Dreaming is a film of the times, while you can see the director’s skill in Paper/plane. There are many people involved in Sept Chiens Andalou, so even though it is good, it is hard to judge. This award should encourage a director’s development, so it is worth giving it to Paper/plane.

WONG:   I think we should talk about the works first, and not talk about the effect of prizes on entrants until the end.

CHU:      Among the entries in the Youth Category, Sept Chiens Andalou is the one work that is true to its youthful identity. A work like this would not be among the finalists in the Open Category.

CHAN:     I agree that we should focus on Besides Dreaming and Paper/plane. Sept Chiens Andalou has more flaws, and besides, in the past there had been works like this. Most jury members were moved by Besides Dreaming, and this is important. On the other hand Paper/plane shows a mastery of video as a visual medium. It has a uniform style, and it is obvious that the director is in full control of the work.
HUNG:     For me, the most touching part of Besides Dreaming is when the protagonists are talking about planning trees, and that they have somehow given up on their past dreams. I was not moved by the stuff about city planning, and I found the ending melodramatic. Their stiff acting styles also put me off. It does have a touching ending, but that part does not require acting technique, only visuals.

CHAN:     It is hard to make a good drama, especially in the Youth Category. Besides Dreaming is a narrative film that is complete and has vision, plus it is very moving.
This is rare for a Youth Category entry.

WONG:    Its flaws are greater than Paper/plane, which does not have much of a burden, and does not care about plot development.

MAK:       The acting in Paper/plane is subtle and true to life. Both the lead actor and actress are good, and the director has good control. The visuals and music are both complete, and his technique is mature. We find Besides Dreaming moving because of the general atmosphere around us. If we talk about the film itself, there is a lot we need to bring up.

WONG:    Besides Dreaming depends on a lot of pretext for its emotional effect. For example, it assumes that working life must be sad, and in the village, the girl is an embodiment of nostalgia.

CHU:       This is an artistic choice on the part of the director.

WONG:    I think there is something strange about the character design and performance of the girl.

CHAN:     Like in past years, our selection comes down to the choice between an emotionally moving film and one that is more artistically accomplished one. Every year we have the same discussion.

HUNG:     Paper/plane is very fine, and the editing is flawless.

MAK:       I agree with Adam that it has moments of ambiguity, but I like the open ending of Paper/plane.

WONG:    On a micro level, his directing skills are great, but being able to communicate the main theme is also important. On that score he is a bit lacking.

CHU:       To me it’s not important if it is open ending. I think the ending is not sufficient, and
there is no resolution to the relationship between the male and female protagonists.

WONG:    The film does not depict the female character well. There should be parts that focus just on her.

CHAN:     Should we zero in on Paper/plane and Besides Dreaming, and forget about Sept Chiens Andalou?

WONG:    I had fun watching Sept Chiens Andalou, mostly because it is a light-hearted work. But it is far from masterly, and cannot be compared to the classics. Dadaism was revolutionary, while Sept Chiens Andalouis only an imitation. It has to rely on mental disorder to explain the irrational story-line. It is a good attempt, but not worthy of a Gold Award.

CHAN:     To sum up our discussion so far: Besides Dreaming is more complete, while Paper/plane is visually stronger.

WONG:    Actually Besides Dreaming has many flaws too.

MAK:       I think Besides Dreaming says too much and is too obvious, perhaps because the director is too emotionally attached to the subject. Do they have to have the girl say those lines at the end? It was emotionally moving enough prior to that point.

WONG:    That 360 degree shot was just trying too hard.

CHAN:      I think the director miscalculated. The dialogue is effective, but the 360 degree shot distances people. Also the shot where they drop the plant is too deliberate. But you tend to forgive it.

WONG:    If we are to consider being encouraging, you can see that the director of  Besides Dreaming has put a lot of effort into learning different techniques. Given time, he would become more mature. The shot in which the picture is dropped is very good.

CHAN:     It hints at the fact that the protagonist has grown up.

MAK:       From a production point of view, this work is hard to Heiward Make.

CHU:       The choice of locations is good, like the one with the big tree. All the scenes are carefully thought out.

CHAN:     That’s right. All the shots of Besides Dreaming are well designed, and the contrast between the picture and reality is good.

HUNG:     The director must have intense feelings about this topic. Besides Dreaming is a bit repetitive, which shows a lack of confidence on the director’s part, but   nonetheless he is sincere.

CHAN:     Much of the technique in Besides Dreaming is commonplace, but put to good use. Paper/plane attempts new things, but doesn’t quite get there. Besides Dreamingis more down-to-earth, while Paper/plane is more esoteric.

MAK:       Another reason I like Paper/plane is that it has a sense of doomed youth, a youthful ennui.

HUNG:     Everything in Besides Dreaming is clear and obvious, while Paper/plane makes me think about it for days afterwards. I would be happy if both works win something.

CHAN:     Should they both get the Gold Award? What happens to the prize money?

KWONG: They would split the $50,000, and part of the prize could go towards buying another camera, or just give the camera to one of them.

WONG:    My impression is that Besides Dreaming is the more superior work, but because I had seen the previous version of  Paper/plane, I may be biased.

CHAN:      Besides Dreaming is more emotionally moving.

CHU:       Viewers may find Besides Dreaming easier to understand, while Paper/plane requires that they think about it after they leave the theatre.

MAK:      I feel Besides Dreaming is a bit old fashioned but touching, and I would be happy if
Paper/plane won a prize, be it Gold or Silver Award. The two are very different
works, and you have to judge them by different standards. Both are flawed; while one is easier to digest, the other has higher artistic merits. The qualities of artistry and
originality are both important for ifva, so I suggest giving two Gold Awards, since the
two directors are worth encouraging. Of the ten finalists, I don’t think any of them
automatically deserve the Gold Award, and if the award is supposed to offer
encouragement, then both directors are worth encouraging.

CHAN:   Then let’s give them both the Gold Award.

HUNG: Because this is the ifva, I think Paper/plane deserves the Gold Award, since
Besides Dreaming is ore accessible.

WONG:         Being accessible or not should not be the most important consideration for this
competition.

CHU:    But it is important that a work is able to communicate with the audience.

CHAN: The most important thing is that these works are up to par. Does giving them both
Gold Awards fit in with the sprit of ifva?

MAK:       Being accessible and having good taste are both good qualities.

WONG:    ifva is not a type of style.

CHAN:    Paper/plane uses film language to tell a story, which should be looked upon with
favor at ifva, for this kind of works tends to be overlooked on other occasions.

WONG:    But you can also say that, ifva ought to encourage expressing how you truly feel, and
works that appeal to both the high and the low.

HUNG:   However, Paper/plane would probably not get an award at other competitions.

WONG: That’s hard to say. I would not make such a political assumption until the very last
step.

CHAN: The most important thing is that there is no very outstanding work this year.

WONG: I don’t object to two Gold Awards.

(Chan Wing-chiu, Heiward Mak and Chu Fun also agree.)

WONG:    Kit, do you agree with Gold Awards?

HUNG:     I like Paper/plane, but I understand your points of view.

KWONG: I suggest that you give up to three special mentions, since we want to offer more
encouragement to the entrants of this category. But unless you insist, we don’t
suggest giving more than three special mentions.

CHAN:     Sept Chiens Andalou should definitely be one of them.

KWONG: You also mentioned The Storyteller, The Gain and China in Expo.

MAK:       I recommend The Storyteller. It is beautifully filmed, consistent and unrepentant.

WONG:    Not everyone can be pretentious, and it does it with style. I also want to give special
mention to wild kids.

CHAN:      I suggest China in Expo and wild kids.

CHU:       I vote for wild kids and The Storyteller.

MAK:      Me too.

WONG: Me too.

KWONG: wild kids received the most votes.

HUNG:   I vote for The Gain and China in Expo. I think wild kids has adult participation,
and it lacks truly youthful elements. I think the part with the dog is designed to look  
like it was done by a youth. There is a shot that uses a dog’s point of view, which is
too precise to have been done by a youth.

WONG: The script of wild kids is very good.

CHAN: We should first eliminate those that have no Chan Wing-chiuce.

WONG: I also like The Gain, but if I were to rank it, it would come in 4th.

CHU:    I also like The Gain, but compared with the other two, I prefer the others.

HUNG:  I rank The Gain the first, but that does not matter.

WONG:         Then let us eliminate The Gain. I would rank China in Expo even further back.

HUNG: I like its passion.

MAK:    There is no argument expressed in China in Expo; it just has one point from
beginning to end. There is no development. Even though they edited in an interview  
about how Mainlanders view this issue,  that is just one point of view. There is no
standpoint, they just documented certain things.

HUNG: I don’t think works like  The Storyteller is worth encouraging.

CHU:    As a Youth Category work, it is quite an achievement. It is beautifully filmed.

HUNG: But there is no content.

WONG:         He has, but he does not want to tell you what it is.

HUNG: The visuals do express the distance between two people, as well as the intimacy
between two girls.

CHAN: It is a matter of taste. It’s hard to discuss.

HUNG: Then I switch my vote to wild kids and give up on China in Expo.

CHAN: Then we can eliminate China in Expo.

KWONG: So Besides Dreaming and Paper/plane get the Gold Award, wild kids, The
Storyteller and Sept Chiens Andalou get special mentions.

Youth Category
Gold Award
Besides Dreaming
WONG Man-ki, LEUNG Yu-fung, YIP Ka-yan, LIU Kwok-ching, YU Chui-sang
Gold Award
Paper/plane
LEUNG Yuk-hang, CHIN Matthew Frederick, LEE Ho-yan
Silver Award
Withhold
Special Mention
The Storyteller
CHOI Nga-man, SO Chung-hay
Special Mention
wild kids
CHAN Sung-hei, CHAN Tik-man, CHAN Ka-yan, CHUN Fung-ying

Special Mention
Sept Chiens Andalou
WONG Chui-yee, TSOI Wing-fung, TAM Miu-yin, Milky, LAM Man-chun, TSANG Ho-yeung, LO Chun-yin

Animation Category Jury Meeting

Jury Members: Lam Kee-to, Lo Che-ying, Patrick Lin, Gabriel Pang, Yuen Kin-to

ifva representatives: Teresa Kwong, Kattie Fan

Yuen Kin-to:《Back to Base》is quite outstanding and mature. 《Corn》is alright, the colors are not pretty but consistent. I like it even if it’s not beautiful.

Patrick Lin: But I don’t understand what it’s trying to say. At first I understood a little, but at the end I don’t know what the carrot means.

Lam Kee-to: They all became extra-terrestrials.

Patrick Lin: At the beginning the carrot is bigger than him, but when they get on the moon it is the opposite. But I don’t understand what he’s trying to say with that. 

Gabriel Pang: I don’t understand 《Unroll》either.

Yuen Kin-to: Maybe s/he doesn’t want you to understand, but is just trying to express some feelings.

Lo Che-ying: You mentioned that 《Corn》is similar to some of the works you’ve seen before.

Yuen Kin-to:《 The Shoes 》looks ugly, but it’s ok.

Patrick Lin: The idea for 《 The Shoes 》is good, but the execution is not. The character design is quite off-putting, and there is no set design. However the story flows smoothly.

Yuen Kin-to: The emotions are heart-felt.

Gabriel Pang: It is probably based on real life. The animator’s mother provided the voice-dubbing. This work received a prize at the ICT Awards last year. Every time I watched it I’d look around to see if anybody is crying.

Yuen Kin-to: The music is very calculated.

Patrick Lin: I like 《 Before the End 》. The execution is very good, and I completely understand what he is trying to say. Its rhythm and length is just right, and the 3D and stop motion effects are combined with good effect. I quite like it.

Lam Kee-to: This director has entered a few stop motion animation at this year’s competition, and this one is the most complete.

Patrick Lin: It cleverly uses 3D backgrounds, which makes it cleaner and easier on the eyes. I also like 《Pick Up & Put Down》, which is full of local flavor, but the ending lost me. I like the design and animation technique of 《Puff the magic dragon》 the most. The technique is rock solid, and the lighting is among the most sophisticated out of the finalists.

Lam Kee-to: On the big screen you notice that his use of color is very pretty. Some works have simple concepts, but you can see that their creators have been developing their ideas as they go along. Even if the end result is not complete, these works are still meaningful, particularly within the context of this competition.

Patrick Lin: I really like its character design, which left a big impression on me. The color is also very pretty. The ending of 《The Launch 》is not very good, and the framing is confusing; you never know if the spaceship is on the left or the right, and he gets the screen direction wrong all the time. The animation of 《Back to Base》is quite good, but it’s far too long. You could easily cut out 6 or 7 minutes and still include all the story beats. He must have spent a lot of time making this, so he doesn’t want to cut things out.

Lam Kee-to: The relationships within the story are very complicated, and criss-cross between different dimensions. I think he deliberately left things unclear, but if you watch carefully you will notice the difference between the various dimensions and small details.

Lo Che-ying: Perhaps the creator is too immersed in his own world. He definitely has something to say, but that slowed the pace down. He spent four years working on this, probably because he worked by himself.

Patrick Lin: Maybe if he had done a storyboard first, he would have saved a lot of time and effort, which would also have made the story simpler.

Lo Che-ying: He is definitely not an expert, and this is probably his first effort. The concept of《Aeriform Touch 》is very good, but he does not express it very well, and the ending is too rushed.  The beginning is very pretty, but he is unable to keep it up.

Lam Kee-to: It describes two people from different worlds coming together. But the story is too trivial and not complete enough.

Gabriel Pang: He drew it on tracing paper.

Lo Che-ying:《Lei Fung》is too slight.

Lam Kee-to: It has a sense of humor, but not enough. The finalists works are chosen from 61 entries, and these works are all very unique. They show the multi-dimensional nature of Hong Kong independent animation. All the works have their own distinctive character, but many are not so complete.

Yuen Kin-to: Compared with previous years, there are many women directors. Perhaps this has something to do with the number of educational institutions in existence.

Lam Kee-to: Also the works tend to be more concerned with feelings. They are full of personality, and visually distinctive.

Gabriel Pang: Unfortunately many do not enter the profession after they graduate. I wonder if it’s because they can’t find related jobs?

Lam Kee-to: Not necessarily. Perhaps they do not want to use this skill to earn money. On the whole entrants rely on their feelings, but their stories are not complete enough.

Teresa Kwong: How does Hong Kong’s indie animation compare with other countries?

Patrick Lin: The quality of Hong Kong animation varies a great deal. Many works are not very complete, and are typical student works. They start off with a certain concept, but execute it without fore-planning and merely improvise as they go along, and so the endings feel rushed and incomplete.

Lo Che-ying: Their time management skills are not good.

Patrick Lin: If they had spent more time in the planning stage, they would have saved some time in the production stage, and their works will be more complete.

Lo Che-ying: I think their teachers in college probably taught them about production planning, but when they are in production they lose control. Many students do not graduate on time. Some works would definitely benefit from having a few more weeks of production time, but sometimes they just have to finish by a certain deadline.

Patrick Lin: Some works are overly ambitious.

Yuen Kin-to: And the music is too heavy-handed.

Patrick Lin: Most works do not have dialogue, so they rely on music.

Lo Che-ying: Perhaps they do not have sufficient personnel to work on the film.

Lam Kee-to: Many entrants see animation as a medium for expressing their feelings. However many of these feelings are not well developed. This is a problem common in many local works.

Patrick Lin: It does not matter so much that they have no dialogue. After all, this can make the work more international. The problem is that the stories are not complete.

Lo Che-ying: Many entrants rely on their feelings alone. I wonder if this is a Hong Kong specialty? Many works lack focus, like 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》, which starts off talking about the old woman, but then switch to disasters.

Patrick Lin: If the authors had concentrated on the two main characters, they would have been able to convey their message better, instead of wasting time on the other characters.

Lam Kee-to: It’s because these entrants do not have a boss telling them what to do. This reflects the liberty that these artists enjoy, so I don’t think of this as a weakness. Rather, it is the author’s own creative decision.

Patrick Lin:《 Pick Up & Put Down 》is already quite good, but if the authors could change things a little bit, it would be even better.

Lam Kee-to: This work is an RTHK commission project.

Lo Che-ying: But RTHK does not interfere in the director’s artistic freedom, although they have preferences for certain subjects. Some RTHK projects are not that good in terms of the quality of animation and story lines, but they broadcast them anyway.

Lam Kee-to: RTHK takes into account various elements when deciding on whether to grant the commission, and the concept takes precedence.

Lo Che-ying: No, usually they only care about the budget and the work’s length.

Lam Kee-to: Usually they have a theme. In recent years we recognize a certain RTHK flavor in many of the works.

Lo Che-ying: If the work is around 12 minutes long it is probably an RTHK project.

Teresa Kwong: All of you have briefly discussed all the finalist works. Now please select three favorites that you think deserve awards.

Lam Kee-to: I choose 《Back to Base》, 《 Puff the magic dragon》and《 Pick Up & Put Down 》.

Patrick Lin: I choose  《 Puff the magic dragon》, 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》 and 《Before the End》.

Yuen Kin-to: I choose  《 Back to Base 》and 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》.

Gabriel Pang: I also choose 《 Back to Base 》and 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》.

Lo Che-ying: I choose  《 Back to Base 》, 《 Before the End》 and 《 Puff the magic dragon》.

Teresa Kwong: We can eliminate those without any votes. We are left with four works, 《 Back to Base 》, 《 Puff the magic dragon》,《 Pick Up & Put Down 》and《 Before the End》. You can give nominations for the Gold Award now.

Lo Che-ying: I appreciate the attitude of《Back to Base》. It matches well with the mission of ifva. It is very independent and the production is not commercial. Even though it has flaws, you can clearly see the animator’s efforts. It is very long and he cannot control many elements, nonetheless his efforts are not wasted. Next time, if he had an advisor by his side, he would probably do better.

Patrick Lin: Looking at the work, you can sense his improvement as he went along.

Lo Che-ying: Those of us who are animators appreciate that even tiny movements may take a lot of time to draw. His technique is quite good, and he pays a lot of attention to details.

Gabriel Pang: The work reminds me of hand-drawn animation from the past.

Lo Che-ying: Perhaps he enjoys the process too much. He kept working and was unable to stop.

Yuen Kin-to: In the scene where the character is giving CPR, you can see his reflection in the water.

Lo Che-ying: He is very concerned with small details.  The overall design is simple yet effective.

Patrick Lin: Technically it’s very accomplished, but I wasn’t very much affected by it emotionally.  I was more touched by 《Before the end》and 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》.

Lo Che-ying: That’s because it’s fragmented and not like a complete story. It does not explain the ins and outs of each character, but more like describing an event. Compared with a more complete story, this film leaves a different impression on the audience. People like《 The Shoes 》because its story is touching, but just looking at a still picture of the film may be quite frightening.

Teresa Kwong: Aside from this film, do you have any other nominees for the Gold Award?

Lam Kee-to: I suggest giving the Gold Award to 《Back to Base》. Originally, I wanted to give the Silver Award to 《 Puff the magic dragon》, but there are not enough votes.

Lo Che-ying: You can lobby for votes.

Lam Kee-to: I like 《Back to Base》a lot. It successfully creates a strange, alien world that is different from everyday reality. The part where they rescue the alien is interesting and heart-warming. When I was watching it I sense that he made the film this way on purpose; it’s not that he could not express the story clearly, but that he didn’t want to make things so obvious. The story concerns two characters coming together, like brothers, and is filled with love and sunshine. The animator created his own unique style, and even though the middle part is a bit boring, it is not important. The alien world he created is very complete, especially in comparison with 《Corn》, in which you don’t know what kind of planet it was. Even though this is not so clearly stated in 《Back to Base》either, you can see that he has established his own well-thought-out system, which is laudable.  I like the action in 《Puff the magic dragon》. Most new directors care more about feelings than action. 《Puff the magic dragon》uses a lot of live action rotoscope, which works together well. It describes a hallucinogenic world, which contrasts with the bright world of 《Back to Base》, and is shocking to me. 《Puff the magic dragon》has a certain Japanese-comics inspired form, but he manages to incorporate many Japanese elements into his own style. His depiction of action is very detailed, which shows that he is an experienced animator.

Lo Che-ying: He participated in ifva several times before.

Lam Kee-to: Watching this on a big screen, I was impressed by the use of strong, bright colors, and that he successfully built a good atmosphere with his editing. I don’t mind the ending part, which describes a very Hong Kong world which contains old people, neighbors, the unemployed, young people. It feels like the work is influenced by certain guidelines because it was commissioned, which weakens its independent spirit.

Yuen Kin-to: RTHK usually sets the topic when soliciting commission works, which are generally quite broad, like “Hong Kong flavor”.

Lam Kee-to: This year there are many works that talk about the family, and is close to the creators lives. Even though 《Before the end 》and《 The Shoes 》are not very complete, I appreciate their independent spirit.

Patrick Lin: Of the four remaining works, I like 《Back to Base》the least. In many ways it is very subtle, but as an artist, I think he has a responsibility to let the audience understand what he’s trying to say. Right now there is something lacking about this work.

Gabriel Pang:《 Back to Base 》 has its own sense of integrity and animation design. The time machine reminds me of Doraemon.

Yuen Kin-to: On the whole it reminds me of an animation program I saw on MTV, which also features gadgets.

Lo Che-ying: You can view that as a strategy. 《 Back to Base 》 has no dialogue and few sound effects. Its soundtrack is mostly music. It is quite minimal.

Patrick Lin: That’s because he wants to concentrate on animation.

Lo Che-ying: You could see that as a flaw. 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》is a bit predictable.

Gabriel Pang:《Before the end 》has room for improvement. Its stop-motion and other technique is quite good, but on the whole it is not that touching. 《Puff the magic dragon》has strong visuals and rhythm, but it would be better if the rhythm was not so monotonous. Now the work does not leave much of an impression. If the ending part was longer it would be better.

Yuen Kin-to:《Puff the magic dragon》is not novel. Visually 《Back to Base》is interesting, and manages to conjure up a unique and personal world.

Gabriel Pang: When I watched it the first time I felt it was too slow, but on second viewing I thought it was okay.

Yuen Kin-to: I like 《The Shoes》better. The author must have had that kind of experience to be able to write a story like that. On the other hand one could make up a story like 《Before the end》.

Lam Kee-to:《The Shoes》is very feminine, while 《Before the end 》is very masculine. I like the latter’s character design. On the big screen you can really sense the protagonist’s loneliness, and the story is quite complete. This year many entries are about remembering one’s elders, which has been a popular theme in the past few years.

Lo Che-ying: This sort of theme is easy to handle for young people.

Yuen Kin-to: Perhaps they are influenced by their teachers, who may be fond of this kind of topic.

Lam Kee-to: In recent years many works have to do with family relationships. Both 《The Shoes》and 《Before the end 》share similar themes.    The former is more personal in its treatment, and the set design is a bit too simplistic, which I view as a personal choice. However, the film expresses many things not through animation but through texts, and I don’t know if that’s because the entrant wanted to finish up the film in order to enter it into this competition. The story of 《The Shoes》is quite touching, but the connection between shots seem broken and the film does not flow properly.《Before the end 》has a stronger sense of completeness, but it is relatively more restrained. I selected to be one of the finalist works, but I don’t think it deserves an award.

Patrick Lin: If most people like 《Back to Base》, then I can compromise and allow it to win. It fulfills the themes of the competition, which is creativity and independent spirit. The work was created by one person over the course of 4 years, and as such more than qualifies.

Lam Kee-to: For Silver Award I nominate《Puff the magic dragon》. Its shots are very powerful and full of personal character.

Gabriel Pang:《 Pick Up & Put Down 》is complete, yet overall the work does not have a strong effect. Compared to 《Puff the magic dragon》 it is quite weak. However the latter merely revolves around a single topic, and there is not enough variation, even though it is visually quite rich. 《Puff the magic dragon》did not leave a strong impression on me.

Lo Che-ying:《Puff the magic dragon》is abstract and does not have a strong story-line. It simply flows freely, and expresses the creator’s feelings.

Yuen Kin-to:《 Pick Up & Put Down 》wants to please everyone, while 《Puff the magic dragon》is very personal.

Lo Che-ying: Which one you prefer depends on your personal taste.

Lam Kee-to:《Puff the magic dragon》has a very Japanese style, while 《 Pick Up & Put Down 》expresses local concern. The two works are very different in style, so it’s hard to compare them.

Yuen Kin-to: Can we give them both Silver Awards?

Lam Kee-to: What’s the difficulty?

Teresa Kwong: There is no difficulty. It’s up to the five jurors, as long as there is consensus among you. But I would advise against giving out too many awards.

Patrick Lin: I like 《Puff the magic dragon》. The animator has good technique, and the lighting and composition are both well-done. Visually it is a striking work, and I nominate it for the Silver Award. I recommend that we give special mention to Pick Up & Put Down》to commend it for its local flavor and substance. This work carries a good message.

Lam Kee-to: Although《Puff the magic dragon》has a strong influenced-style, I agree that it is nonetheless a distinguished work.

Lo Che-ying: Even if he referenced other works, he still needs the ability to execute it. This is no easy task.

Gabriel Pang: My views are just the opposite. I recommend giving 《Pick Up & Put Down 》the Silver Award, and 《Puff the magic dragon》special mention. For me the latter made achievements in certain areas, and so ought to be commended, but does not deserve to win the Silver Award. That’s just my view.

Lam Kee-to: This is a cruel decision, and comes down to a battle between styles. Very often when judging a work, one is split between foregrounding technical skills or subject matter.   《Pick Up & Put Down 》and 《Before the end 》share a similar theme in that they are both about human nature. I would be happy if both works get special mention, while  《Puff the magic dragon》deserves the Silver Award.

Gabriel Pang: I have no problem with that.

Teresa Kwong: So our Gold Award this year goes to 《Back to Base》, Silver Award goes to  《Puff the magic dragon》, and two special mentions go to 《Pick Up & Put Down 》and 《Before the end 》.

Lam Kee-to: It’s a pity that 《The Shoes》didn’t get a special mention.

Lo Che-ying: Three special mentions would be too many.

Lam Kee-to: Also I think it’s a pity that some works did not become a finalist, like the one about electric plugs. But sometimes you have to make a choice. The four works that received awards are all distinctive and worthy of note. 

Interactive Media Jury Meeting

Jury Members: Bryan Chung, Ryusuke Ito, Jamsen Law, Scott Hessels, Winnie Fu

ifva representative: Teresa Kwong, Kattie Fan

Bryan Chung: For me, some of the works exceed the quality mentioned in the proposal, but some of them have discrepancy from what they’d written down in the documentation. In the first round we went through all the submissions, which is in the form of documentation. Some of them will have DVD, which are video recordings of their former exhibitions. Some of them will just have a proposal, which is their ideas and implementation plans. Actually the works selected are completed over the last month. We went through the materials and isolated some of those that had no chance to be selected. Then we discussed on individual works, and the three of us gave comments on individual entries and voted the 10 finalists to be included in the exhibition you had just seen.

Teresa Kwong: In addition to the 10 finalists, they also gave best concept award, which is not in the finalist, but they found that the concept needs encouragement.

Scott Hessels: Can I know the criteria you used? Were there categories, or was it just whether you liked it or didn’t like it? How did you decide?

Bryan Chung: In the first round of selection we each had our own evaluation methods. Basically I stick to independent spirit, content, creativity and the use of media and technology. I don’t have a weighting scheme that weighs each of those categories more or less. The grade I use for comparison is the overall sum of all entries.

Scott Hessels: I would have done the same thing. How do you define independent spirit?

Bryan Chung: Most often it’s the form of the work—a lot of them have similarity with commercial advertising or software technology. For example the tape recorder work has less similarity with commercial work in using interactive media.

Scott Hessels: So it’s the freshness of using new media.

Jamsen Law: Or to use it differently. Something personal can be a part of it.

Scott Hessels: But it’s how fresh they use the tools?

Bryan Chung: How far away from the corporate use of those media.

Scott Hessels: Another criterion is technical skills or polish?

Bryan Chung: It is the way they use technology, whether it is professional. In previous years we encounter works that break down quite often.

Scott Hessels: Some of these didn’t work for me either. So under “technology” is how well does it function? What else do you use for criteria?

Bryan Chung:I also use the criteria of content, which I don’t know if it is the right term, because some works are more playful without delivering any content. Some of the works have social or cultural content built in.

Winnie Fu: I would use the term “concept”, like how original the idea and how it is executed, and whether it is creative in the sense that it is not seen in other works before or copied from other artists. In the past there have been works that are not so completed.  We also count the degree of completeness, whether it is presented in complete form.

Scott Hessels: Would that fall under technology? Or is that another category, the presentation of the work?

Winnie Fu: It could be put together with technology, but myself, because of ifva’s title, I always count interactivity as more significant than others.

Scott Hessels: Is interactivity a separate concept, or does it fall under content?

Bryan Chung: I consider them separately.

Scott Hessels: So independent spirit, which is the freshness of the idea; technology, which is how well they use the media; concept, which is the thought behind it and finally interactivity, which is the quality of the interaction. Are there more?

Winnie Fu: Jamsen, you sometimes put more weight on the aesthetics or poetry of the work?

Jamsen Law: Some works show us how to make use of technology and make it interesting. Some artists use the work as a tool to express some feeling. I try to make a balance between the use of technology and how to use the visual element to express their feelings.

Scott Hessels: Is that different from concept?

Jamsen Law: Not really, but if a work has this quality I would bring it up in the discussion.

Scott Hessels: Each of us understand the word “concept” differently, that’s why there are five of us. Do the four categories cover what we need to know? You mentioned earlier that some works do not deliver what they promised? Do we consider that?

Bryan Chung: I think in this case you can forget that.

Teresa Kwong: Because they have certain information that you don’t have from the proposals.

Ryusuke Ito: It’s difficult to judge, because some works may not be good enough for prizes, but we can find in them qualities that have potential, and we should encourage that also. Sometimes we are attracted by the artist him/herself with their character, not just the work.

Jamsen Law: If the overall work is not good enough we’ll try to encourage such works with special mentions. Let’s select our top five works and discuss them.

Scott Hessels: It is unfortunate that we cannot measure the body of work. Some artists may have 20 pieces while others only one, but we have no way of knowing, which is too bad. We do the best we can by judging what’s in the gallery.

Winnie Fu: Shall we give an overall score first?

Teresa Kwong: It’s up to you. Other jury panels go through the works one by one and reach a common ground. Then they go to the second round and vote for the top 5. Then they will talk about the award winners. That’s the usual practice.

Jamsen Law: I think the first round we can select ten and see how much we overlap. Then we start discussing the works.

Winnie Fu: Shall we give marks for each, or line them up according to our preferences?

Jamsen Law: Giving marks is difficult. Maybe we can select the top 5 and talk about them?

Scott Hessels: My top ones are 《Blackout》,《10Hz》,《Sycamore (dancing poetry) , on the street》, 《Device Playing - Cassette Recorder》. To be honest those are the only ones I like.

Bryan Chung: Mine are 《Device Playing - Cassette Recorder》, 《Sycamore》, 《10Hz》,《Blackout》and 《Surveil_land》.

Jamsen Law: Repeat as Bryan.

Winnie Fu: 《Device Playing - Cassette Recorder》, 《Sycamore》, 《10Hz》, 《Blackout》and 《Body Hack》.

Ryusuke Ito: 《Surveil_land》, 《10Hz》, 《Sycamore》, 《Device Playing - Cassette Recorder》. Only four.

Teresa Kwong: Shall we cross out 《Delight》,《Peacemax tree》, 《Do you dare?》and 《Where's the Chicken?》? We have six works left.

Scott Hessels: Some only have one vote.

Winnie Fu: I voted for 《Body Hack》 because it is among the most interactive of the ten. Maybe because I saw Eric’s other works of the same theme and I appreciate the artist’s continual exploration of the same concept.

Scott Hessels: I also know Eric’s work, but I don’t think this is a very good piece. I never saw anyone successfully work the system. I saw a lot of people try to get it to work and line themselves up. The interaction is not very clear: you don’t know what you’re supposed to do. I understand what you’re saying and I like Eric’s work a lot. I appreciate the idea of putting yourself in classic cinema, but I don’t think it’s very successful. We all voted for the 《Cassette Recorder》but I couldn’t get it to work—I couldn’t record my voice and hear it back. It didn’t successfully work 100%.  Also《Surveil_land》didn’t work for me.

Winnie Fu: I agree that there were quite a lot of similar works to 《Surveil_land》from the same author before. There’s not a lot of add-on. The fabrication is also more primitive than his previous works. As a result this piece’s interactivity was impaired.

Scott Hessels: I agree.

Winnie Fu: In that case《Body Hack》,《Surveil_land》and even 《Cassette Recorder》 can go?

Scott Hessels: But we all voted for 《Cassette Recorder》, even though it didn’t work. You’d think we’d be more angry! It’s such a cool object and I love the feel of it. I wish it’d work, because it would have been amazing.

Winnie Fu: I liked it because it’s very physical. I like the feeling of walking around, like a grinding machine. By comparison 《10Hz》is more stagnant.

Scott Hessels: But I still loved it. People like to watch the people that were in it, so there are interior/exterior elements to it. You have to stay in it at least a minute to feel the effect, but once you did you really get the sensation. I also like its inspiration, which is sunlight coming through trees while you’re in a car, that flicker, which is really beautiful start.

Winnie Fu: I travel a lot on trains, so I immediately sync with his visual intention.

Scott Hessels: I thought it’s one of the freshest pieces. I’ve never seen tuning forks used in a sculpture. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. We did not all agree on 《Blackout》, but I thought was a really beautiful installation, I like how you walk into this curtain of bulbs. When I was sitting in it, because I’m so big, the other person has his back against me. Every time you typed the same letter the light bulb went off, you kind of smiled because you both typed the same letter at that moment, which is kind of sweet. I’m not sure what it meant, but I really like the feeling it gave, I thought it was very beautiful.

Ryusuke Ito: Many works use light bulbs. Is it a trend in Hong Kong?

Jamsen Law: If it’s a trend, it’s a trend of a school.

Scott Hessels: It’s inexpensive and easy to work with. I don’t mind that.

Ryusuke Ito: In my generation, fluorescent light was just started to use, and nowadays kids grow up with fluorescent lights. I wonder if there is any meaning, or a natural kind of taste to use tungsten light bulbs.

Bryan Chung: It’s also nostalgic to use light bulbs instead of LED bulbs.

Scott Hessels: Does the poetry that 《Sycamore》generate have a meaning? Or just nonsense?

Winnie Fu: You choose from an archive of Chinese characters that keeps appearing randomly, so there are hundreds of characters from which you can form into lines. Chinese poetry is usually in the form of seven or five characters a sentence. The maximum number of characters you can choose is 9, which lined up as a sentence along the floor.  In terms of the poetics of the work, I like this even more than 《Blackout》. It’s quite simple, but it’s fun to play with. And it works quite well.

Jamsen Law: I like the typography.

Scott Hessels: It’s beautiful to look at, plus I like black and white imagery of it. It’s cinematic and graphic at the same time.

Jamsen Law: It’s interesting to capture the words on the ground.

Scott Hessels: Of all the works, it’s the only one that’s localized and specific to Hong Kong. I don’t understand it, but I like the fact that the artist goes into the environment and works with it.

Bryan Chung: It’s related to the social and cultural context of Hong Kong at this point in time. We have urban renewal, and those places and streets are being demolished. They are collecting texts or characters that are going to be demolished and removed.

Scott Hessels: It has some of the best poetry—not just literally, but also conceptually.

Winnie Fu: If you play with it for a long time, you will have a lot of linkage to the words of that area, because the texts are taken from that area, like street names and the like.

Teresa Kwong: Are you ready to talk about the Gold Award?

Scott Hessels: it’s between those three, 《10 Hz》, 《Cassette Recorder》 and 《Sycamore》. If we are including technology as one of our criteria, the technology of 《Sycamore》 is definitely the simplest of the three. So I would say either 《10 Hz》 or 《Cassette Recorder》. And for me because 《Cassette Recorder》 didn’t work, 《10 Hz》 wins because it worked. It’s an interesting experience, and nicely presented. I loved the 《Device playing - Cassette Recorder》, but I could only hear, I could not record.

Winnie Fu: For me,《Body Hack》worked when I visited it.

Jamsen Law: It works, but for me I was not willing to follow those gestures and play with it. I don’t know the reason why I had to do this and play with it. 

Bryan Chung: The incentive for me to play was not good enough. There isn’t any narrative for me to follow. My two favorites are 《10Hz》 and 《Sycamore》. I still need to decide which is better.

Ryusuke Ito: 《Cassette Recorder》 is good-looking. I like the work, but the concept is like 《Tape-bow violin》 by Laurie Anderson, so it’s not very new. The experience with 《10Hz》 was really good. 《Body Hack》is not working yet, but it has potential. The idea is like karaoke with body movement. After watching a gangster movie, audiences like to impersonate a gangster’s walk when coming out of the theatre. His idea of impersonating the movement from cinema is a really good idea. I don’t think it deserves first or second place, but it has potential.

Winnie Fu: My favorites are 《10Hz》and 《Sycamore》.

Scott Hessels: I would have no problem with 《10Hz》and 《Sycamore》being gold and silver. I think 《10Hz》has more effort put into it than 《Sycamore》, but 《Sycamore》 is a very successful poetic experience.

Ryusuke Ito: What do you think of the exterior of 《10Hz》? It’s just form boards.

Scott Hessels: It’s not the prettiest piece. In 《Blackout》, the chairs and keyboards were gorgeous. In terms of presentation it’s the best.

Ryusuke Ito: For 《10Hz》he didn’t need to cover the mechanical things. It would have been more shocking. The experience we could get would have been more surprising and more meditative, if it had mechanical, scary looking in contrast.

Winnie Fu: For me it’s a fight between these two, between best use of technology and content. Content-wise I appreciate a work that has such social significance and has more context with society. In terms of creativity 《10Hz》 wins out.

Scott Hessels: Sounds like you are voting for 《10Hz》.  Is it worthy of a gold award? Does it compare well with past Gold Award winners?

Jamsen Law: We can suggest a Gold Award winner each and see if everyone agrees with it.

Teresa Kwong: You don’t have to compare with last year of previous years.

Scott Hessels: We all loved 《Sycamore》, but recognize that it’s not technically as good as 《10Hz》.

Bryan Chung: In the proposal, 《Sycamore》suggested the use of the body as a way to select the text, rather than the mouse. I talked to the artists, and they told me that the ceiling height is not enough to do sensitive tracking of the body, so they resorted to using the mouse.  

Scott Hessels: That’s the most unfortunate aspect of the work, that the interface was so typical. That didn’t work with the other components if the piece. Visually it was beautiful.

Jamsen Law: The proposal for 《10Hz》was different. It’s walking into a room with a projection outside.

Scott Hessels: Do we agree that gold award goes to 《10Hz》, and silver to 《Sycamore》?

(All the jury members nod in agreement.)

Teresa Kwong: You can choose a maximum of three special mentions, and please state which area you would like to emphasize.

Scott Hessels: I vote for 《Blackout》and 《Cassette Recorder》.           

Winnie Fu: I agree.

Teresa Kwong: So only 2 special mentions this year. Can you talk more about why you are giving special mentions to these two?

Scott Hessels: I like the interaction in 《Blackout》, I liked the feeling I got when I typed the same letter as someone else; I liked having my back against other people. It’s very cinematic, with the split screen and the couple writing love letters. I loved how you walked into it, when you push these light bulbs aside. The aesthetic was beautiful, if a little too Apple computer. It worked, and I saw a lot of people playing with it.

Ryusuke Ito: The reason I like 《Cassette Recorder》 is the movement of going on and going back with the sound, and you record the sound by moving a heavy stuff, almost like a torture!

Bryan Chung: I like the way she split the table—on one end there are legs, but the other end is suspended, it looks like it could easily fall down but actually it’s quite solid. I like the intimacy it creates with two people, but they can’t see each other, but they feel each other’s movement when they are typing.

Asian New Force Jury Meeting

Jury Members: Maggie Lee, Aruna Vasudev, Cheng Hsiao-Tse

ifva representative: Teresa Kwong

Translator: Tammy Cheung

Maggie Lee: I did the pre-selection and when I thought about the works again, I like the Mongolian one more than I thought. It’s really beautiful and for a documentary, it has so much drama.

Aruna Vasudev: You’re deeply wounded by the tragedy of the situation, yet it is done without any tragedy. It’s just telling the story about the people, and it moves you to tears. It’s a very strong film.

Maggie Lee: The editing is very concise, and the use of musical symphony is very good.

Aruna Vasudev: It’s not done in a tragic way, but it’s done in a straight-forward way, which touches you even more deeply. I was also very touched by the Georgian film 《The April Chill》. 

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I feel documentaries and fiction films should not be put in the same category. I like the Mongolian film too, but I can’t use the same standard to judge it as fiction films. I myself also make fiction films, I know that the story-telling technique and the director’s point of view is very different between a fiction film and a documentary. But I do understand the message of the film, and I was able to feel its power and sincerity.

Aruna Vasudev: How do you feel about the other films in general?

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I personally like the Georgian film. I find the mise-en-scene very mature. Even though I don’t understand the historical background of the country, I can feel the impact of the story through its strong imagery.  In general the standard of the films is quite high. I know some of the Taiwanese directors, and I was impressed by their creativity. Overall there is a great variety among the finalist works, they include many different kinds of stories, which is wonderful.  

Maggie Lee: Even though the award tries to look for more edgy works with interesting new techniques, there is not many experimental works. Most are conventional narrative works.

Teresa Kwong: Do you see the same case in other festivals?

Maggie Lee: ifva entries from early years were more experimental. Maybe even five years ago.

Teresa Kwong: Even though I didn’t see all the 500 entries, maybe there are some experimental works among them, but maybe they’re not very good. That’s why they didn’t make it into the 70 in the second round.

Maggie Lee: Even among the 70 I didn’t see many experimental films, maybe only two.

Teresa Kwong: The Asian New Force category is very competitive.

Aruna Vasudev: 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》 has a great sense of humor, which is such a pleasure. 《Lies》 also to some extent. Most of the work is very serious.

Maggie Lee: It’s also quite an original idea.

Aruna Vasudev: The young boy in 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》 is very good.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: It’ is not easy to make a comedy in terms of acting and editing. This film generated a lot of laughter at the screening.

Teresa Kwong: What do you think of《Repair》?

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I like it, but if the editing were improved it would be a better film. Even though I knew the ending would come, it still moved me.

Maggie Lee: When I did the first round selection, my first favorite was 《The April Chill》, I also liked 《Sleeping with Her》, but maybe it’s too pretty, and the storytelling may be too simple.

Aruna Vasudev: I thought 《Once Upon a Time in Kinmen》also has a sense of humor. It’s very nicely done.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: 《Sleeping with Her》is by a female director, so it’s very unexpected of her to make a film like that, to express a psychological state. The cinematographer is very good, and I know much of the film was shot in a studio. The cinematography is very beautiful.

Maggie Lee: I met the director in Rotterdam a year ago, who told me that they tried to contact a famous Indonesian actress for the role. I liked the fact that even though the director was only making a short film, she’s trying to cooperate with a different culture.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I saw a previous version of 《Birthday》, the whole story takes place inside a living room. This is the second version of the film, and the characterization is much richer. In the screening, I noticed the audience was very touched by this film.

Maggie Lee: What do you think of 《Kinmen》?

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I think the directors are very bold in tackling this subject matter about China-Taiwan relationship. Most Taiwan directors wouldn’t touch this issue. The directors used a satirical approach, which makes it quite special.

Maggie Lee: Some of the cultural reference like the songs is very specific, and I don’t know if a foreign audience would understand it.

Aruna Vasudev: It’s necessary to know social/historical background to understand a film, but films can make you understand also. Directors should state such information in the synopsis so that the audience can understand it. 《Happy Birthday》is not a great film, but it is such a clever social commentary on what is happening in Iran and is filled with humor. It’s very strong and very well done.

Teresa Kwong: During the first round, we saw a lot of good short films from Taiwan, but many of them are about family. Maggie suggested we include 《Once Upon a Time in Kinmen》 because it is more ambitious. It’s not just about family but more about politics. That’s why we included it in the top ten. Do you want to say anything about 《Happy Birthday》?

Aruna Vasudev: I don’t have much to say about it. It’s nicely done. I really liked the way the director made a clever commentary on the Iranian situation. But as a film I prefer the others.

Maggie Lee: I thought 《Happy Birthday》is good and well made, but I don’t have a strong emotional reaction to it. I don’t know why.

Aruna Vasudev: Because it’s a very simple film about relationships.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: In terms of acting, both the girl and the boy are very good.

Maggie Lee: All the other films have good acting too. Except 《Repair》. I don’t like the actor in it.

Aruna Vasudev: The actors in 《Lies》 and 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》 are very good.

Teresa Kwong:《The Disappearing Guangzhou》is another documentary from China. What do you think about it?

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I find the film to be very long when I watched it, which shows that there a problem with it.

Aruna Vasudev: It’s an exciting subject, but I don’t think it came through.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: If this is for a TV broadcast, it’s okay, especially the first half, but as a documentary, it doesn’t go deep enough.

Maggie Lee: The reason we included this among the finalists is to encourage the filmmaker, because we’ve seen so many Chinese documentaries talk about really big problems and people suffering so much, but this film has a different style.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: The style of this film is quite unique.

Aruna Vasudev: It’s very interesting to explore the transformation of a city and, with it, the transformation of people’s lifestyles.

Maggie Lee: We also want to encourage this filmmaker because the film is in Cantonese. The government is trying so hard to suppress the dialect. There was a demonstration where people wanted the freedom to speak Cantonese, and people got arrested. I don’t think it deserves to win. We just wanted it in the selection.

Teresa Kwong: Each of you can select two or three works that deserve awards.

Maggie Lee: My favorites are 《April Chill》, 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》 and 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》.

Aruna Vasudev: These are my three favorites too, but I also like 《Lies》.

Maggie Lee:《Lies》 is good too, but I think 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》is very strong.

Aruna Vasudev:《Lies》has a lovely idea, especially how the relationship between the kids comes out. It’s very nicely done.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse:《April Chill》, 《Repair》and《Happy Birthday》.

Teresa Kwong: We’ll eliminate those which have got no votes: 《Lies》, 《The Disappearing Guangzhou》, 《Birthday》, 《Once Upon a Time in Kinmen》, 《Sleeping with Her》. Are you ready to vote for the grand prize, or would you like to discuss a little bit?

Aruna Vasudev: There are two with only one vote,  《Repair》 and《Happy Birthday》. Maybe you can try to convince us.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: It’s not necessary. Aruna, yesterday you told me that you like 《Happy Birthday》.

Aruna Vasudev: I do, but after seeing the other works today, I like them better.

Maggie Lee: I think there is a problem with describing the psychological state of the girl in 《Happy Birthday》. She’s very anxious, but it’s a bit confusing. In the pre-selection Hitomi was really against this film, because she feels it doesn’t make sense for the girl to behave this way. It’s impossible that they do not find out this news. The basic premise is unrealistic.

Aruna Vasudev: It doesn’t bother me. They don’t have television and the internet, and they wanted the girl to have a happy birthday. I understand their desire to protect the little sister.

Maggie Lee: The technique and emotion of 《Happy Birthday》are good.

Teresa Kwong: Are you all ready to nominate the grand prize?

Aruna Vasudev:《April Chill》got all three votes. I suggest dividing the prize between the Mongolian and the Georgian films. I think they are both very good.

Maggie Lee: I would like to give special mention to 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》because it’s so enjoyable.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: Does that mean we split the grand prize into two?

Teresa Kwong: Yes and they would divide the prize money.

Maggie Lee: If you don’t like 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》so much, we can respect that.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: That’s not what I mean. What I’m thinking of is the name of the award. If I were an award recipient, I would like to know why I received the award.  Documentaries are at a disadvantage when competing with fiction films. If we split the grand prize, should we name the award differently for the documentary?

Maggie Lee: I personally think it would be okay to just give the award to 《April Chill》.

Aruna Vasudev: I think the Mongolian film is so good, you should divide the award. It talks about a terrible tragedy without sentimentality, which is extremely difficult to do. It’s the kind of film that will stay with me. Some images I will never forget, like the scene when he says he will buy 5 kilos of flour for my family. But he says it very calmly as he offers the animal skin. 《April Chill》 also has moments like that, and for me it’s very difficult to choose between them.

Maggie Lee: I like them both as well. Objectively speaking, 《April Chill》 is obviously better as a film technically, whereas emotionally I’m touched by《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》.

Aruna Vasudev: The Mongolian film is also very well done and well shot.

Maggie Lee: If we give them both the grand prize, it would look like they are equally good, but I think 《April Chill》 is better.

Aruna Vasudev: They are equally good. It’s a majority decision, and I’ll go by that. But I really urge you because it’ll be very helpful for both filmmakers to get that money.

Maggie Lee: What about special mention?

Aruna Vasudev: We can give it to 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》if you like.

Maggie Lee: We can give the camera to 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》and the money to 《April Chill》?

Aruna Vasudev: The money and the recognition of an award would mean a lot to both of them, because neither is a big filmmaking country, and it would mean a lot for local audiences to see films from Mongolia and Georgia. So I urge you to divide the award.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》is very moving. As a documentary it is hard to compare it with fiction films.

Aruna Vasudev:《April Chill》is also documentary. It is based on actual facts.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I think it would be unfair if the documentary didn’t get a prize. I think these two films should get prizes. I think 《April Chill》should get the grand prize and 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》 the second prize, if you have such a prize.

Maggie Lee: I like them both, but I feel it would be slightly unfair for 《April Chill》to share the prize because in my opinion it is better. I don’t know if there is a way around that.

Teresa Kwong: The organizers are quite flexible. In the past we have had two entries for grand prize, and two entries for special mention.

Maggie Lee: I think 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》deserves more than a special mention.

Teresa Kwong: If we decide to give two grand prizes, they would split the $30,000. You asked whether it’s possible to have a first and a second prize, with both receiving some money. We haven’t done that before, we could try and accommodate it.

Aruna Vasudev: We can give the special jury prize to 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》with a little less money.

Maggie Lee: That’s a great idea. 

Aruna Vasudev: We can give $10,000 and the camera to 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》, and 《April Chill》 gets $20,000, and special mention to 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》.

Teresa Kwong: Then the value of the prizes will be similar.

Aruna Vasudev: Yes, but the grand prize is more prestigious.  

Maggie Lee: That’s fine with me.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: What would the entrants and participants think?

Aruna Vasudev: That doesn’t matter. It’s for ifva to decide.

Cheng Hsiao-Tse: I have participated in competitions like this before, and was upset when they changed the prizes.

Teresa Kwong: We have never encountered this problem before. In the past we have had two grand prize winners, and nobody complained. Our principle is that only two works split the prize, not three or four. So we decide that 《April Chill》is the Grand Prize winner and gets $20,000, 《ZUD. COLD SYMPHONY》gets the special jury prize with $10,000 and the camera. Then special mention for 《My mom's great Kimchi stew》.