Young Hong Kong directors 'go crazy'
"Gwangong VS Alien." Will a communist robot become our newest action hero? The entries in Hong Kong's upcoming international short film festival, "Fresh Wave 2011," look ridiculously entertaining.
In "Gwangong VS Alien" -- to take just one thrilling example -- a massive alien attacks Hong Kong. Only the arrival of the gigantic Mr. Gwangong -- Chinese epitome of loyalty and righteousness -- saves the day.
After that, it only gets weirder, according to 25-year-old director Manny Leung Chung-man (梁仲文).
"It is ridiculous," says Leung, a recent digital media graduate from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. "Yet our goal is to be as ridiculously entertaining as possible.
"We're trying to tap into Hong Kongers' mentality and make some fun out of it. What would our reactions be if such a calamity happened? Of course, we would expect 'grandpa' (the Chinese government) to save us. That's why we created a communist robot."
Leung says he entered Fresh Wave because of the HK$40,000 subsidy offered to each filmmaker.
Organized by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC) to inject new energy into local cinema, Fresh Wave 2011 is said to be the only short film competition in Hong Kong that provides subsidies to entrants.
"It is an opportunity for [new filmmakers] to set foot in the industry," says director Johnnie To Kei-fung (杜琪峰), chairman of Film and Media Arts Group, ADC. "We introduce their short films to the world and, hopefully, we will also bring talent to our movie industry."
Thirty local contestants competing in two divisions -- public and student -- were assigned to one of 10 well-known director-mentors. Each delivered their film within six months under the guidance of the mentors.
"Go wild" was the advice from mentor Benny Chan muk-sing (陳木勝).
"Once you've joined the commercial world, you cannot play with [movies] like this anymore," says Chan. "You have to go wild when you still can."
And the young directors did.
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Shorts to watch for
Each film is limited to a maximum length of 30 minutes. Together, the films present a collage of modern Hong Kong culture, people and landscape.
"Gwangong VS Alien" is an imaginary remake of a classic 1976 Taiwanese movie, "Zhan shen," also known as "Hong Kong Calamity." It's called "imaginary" since the director has never seen the original movie.
"We made the movie based on a few pictures online and a lot of research," says director Leung. "We imagined the story should go like this. The final product looks like a pirated version that itself becomes a joke."
"I grew up there," says Pako Leung. "It is one of the few communities which has not been colonized by the Link REIT yet, and many unique local stores are still operating there.
"Shek Kip Mei is a community well-designed for people. Yet, not many people know about the place."
Another compelling entry is "6th March," which presents a 30-minute conversation between three police officers and three arrested activists.
It's a personal account of the night director Wong Chun (黃進) was collared during a demonstration against the Hong Kong government's proposed budget.
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The challenge facing Hong Kong directors -- mainland China
So far the festival sounds good. However, does the it bring new talent back to the industry as hoped?
"Gwangong VS Alien" director Manny Leung says he would like to direct in the future, but does not want to limit himself to only the movie industry.
"There are too many restrictions as a director now," says Leung. "I would rather be a creative worker in general."
Benny Chan, 42, started his career as an assistant director at TVB, a local television station, before directing his first movie, "A Moment of Romance," 20 years ago. It remains a local classic.
"Compared with 20 years ago, the filmmaking environment is much tougher nowadays," says Chan. "Most of the movie productions have moved to mainland China."
Chan adds that today's young directors have "to be patient and persevere." Or follow his example -- start out in TV instead of movies.
Fresh Wave 2011 will feature 50 films in 24 screening sessions: 30 local entries are in competition, along with 20 award-winning short films from young international directors, such as shorts from the International Association of Film and TV Schools, winning entries from the South Taiwan Film Festival and selections from the Thai Short Film and Video Festival.
The opening film will be "The Blue Kite" from renowned Chinese director Tian Zhuang-zhuang (田壯壯).
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The “Fresh Wave 2011 Exhibition," December 2, 2011-January 31, 2012, K11 Art Mall, Tsim Sha Tsui
The Fresh Wave 2011—International Short Film Festival, December 9–18, the Broadway Cinemathèque, Yau Ma Tei, program and ticket details are available here.
