Young souls yearn for freedom. They struggle with their relationships, their lives, and their dreams, accompanied with the harsh reality. Through moving images, these youngsters respond to the happenings around them. Their utmost honesty brings adults back to the time when they were the same as them, young and beautiful.

Animation is like a window with a beautiful view. It could depict the real world in a surrealistic way, or construct a whole new world with utmost imagination. There ten pieces of gems perfectly showcase the multiple dimensions of animation as a creative medium.

The protagonists are rather ordinary: a Taiwanese who goes jogging because of insomnia, some Iraqi boys who have their football court taken away, a Turkish man who works as construction painter in France, and an Iranian man whose wife has cheated on him… Ten Asian new directors tell extraordinary stories with their distinct point of view.

This is the common problem every ifva jury would face: too many outstanding works, too few quotas for finalists. Two public screenings are arranged to share with audience these recommended picks by the different jury members.

Transactions of Desire explores our emotional responses against the demands of society. The eight short films question what really motivate our intimate relationships and actions. This screening includes 2 short films Breathe in/Breathe out and An Emo Nose, which is produced by our ifva talents Tsang Tsui-shan Jessey (Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Director) and Wong Ping (Gold Award winner of Animation category in the 18th ifva Awards) respectively. The screening was followed by the launching of short stories anthology Transactions of Desire.

 

 

 

Produced and distributed by:

Heartwarming short films under the starry sky on one of the steepest streets of Hong Kong. The March screening of People’s Cinema – Open-air Screening of Jockey Club ifva Everywhere will be showing three short films close to the everyday lives of Hong Kong people.

 

 

 

A creative film production scheme designed especially for ethnic minority youths in Hong Kong. For the sixth consecutive year, students continue to transform their stories through moving images. In six different shorts, it refracts the multiple layers of ups and downs, friendship, love, and students’ responses to happenings around them. Outstanding works from the 36-hour Intensive Shooting Challenge will also be screened. Creativity breaks all barriers to connect different communities across ethnic groups.

Supported by WYNG Masters Award, “ifva Young Filmmakers” aims to inspire teenagers to express themselves, share their ideas and viewpoints through moving images. Through trainings and learning experiences, five teaching artists (Joseph Wu, Judy Chu, Lai Yan-chi Mo, Kenji Wong, Wong Yee Mei) stimulate creative ideas and inspire young people’s thinking towards the theme. This year’s topic is “identity”.

 

 

 

Sponsored by

 

 

HONG KONG SHORT FILM: NEW ACTION EXPRESS (NAE) is a scheme launched by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, aiming to promote excellent Hong Kong short films and videos locally and abroad. In 2015 and 2016, the scheme started to participate in the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market, through which directors can build up connections with overseas short film distributors, broadcasting companies, film festivals and production investors. The exploration of new markets would bring long-term benefits to excellent short films and their filmmakers. This year NAE brought 12 award-winning films to Clermont-Ferrand, and sponsored 10 film directors to participate in the activities there to introduce their short films to overseas audience. Six of these short films, which have never been screened at ifva Festival before, then return to Hong Kong for meeting the local audience during the ifva Festival. Through a programme of these six titles, Hong Kong audience will be able to view these great shorts that have made their fames abroad and are now returning to their home town.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

* sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region