New Films
Snuggle
JC Wong
Hong Kong/84 min/In Cantonese with Chi & Eng Subtitles
After recording the lives of Hong Kong's children in Fish Story, director JC Wong turns his camera to matters of life and death in his new documentary. For two years, Wong documented the lives of three families that are struggling to live beneath the torment of terminal illness. Over time, the subjects begin to rethink their ideas of death and filial obligations over visits to nursing homes, hospitals and even funeral homes. Commissioned by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, this gentle and devastatingly humanistic work shows the importance of love and companionship when we come face-to-face with mortality.
Director's Profile
Wong Siu Pong graduated from Hong Kong Shue Yan University's Department of Journalism and Communication. His work, Back on the Street, has been nominated as Special Selection at the Chinese Documentary Festival 2011. His second work, Fish Story, got the sponsorship from CNEX. Snuggle is his latest work.
Factory Youth
Guo Xizhi
China / 196 min / In Mandarin and Hakka dialect with Chi & Eng Subtitles
Shenzhen, yet another economic miracle of contemporary global China. What do the towering skyscrapers, the glossy malls and the endless apartments mean, however, to those scraping to survive in this new Industrial Revolution. Starting from visions of the factory floor as their bleak life space, Guo Xizhi follows youths through the city where they seek tawdry escape and the damaged countryside they are now alienated from, probing the depths of change and loss that are marking a generation.
Source: The Booklet of Hong Kong International Film Festival
Director's Profile
Guo Xizhi received a Master in Arts from East China Normal University. He worked at TV stations and is now a professor at the Shenzhen University, College of Mass Communication. His works include Mouthpiece and Ferry.
Small Talk
Huang Hui-chen
Taiwan / 89 min / In Mandarin and Taiwanese, Chi & Eng Subtitles
「Every morning, my mother wakes up well before me, prepares my lunch, and takes off. Every evening, after eating out, my mom comes home, washes up, closes her bedroom door, and is asleep by 9PM.
We live in the same space. But we’ve lived like strangers under one roof for decades now. The only exchanges are the meals she cooks for me. No hellos, no goodbyes, and no “I love you.” I watch her, knowing that beneath the deafening silence lies a secret that weighs heavily on her, keeping her from speaking; knowing that behind her tightly pursed lips is a shame so overbearing that it suffocates her.
One day, I finally summon up the courage to sit her down and make her talk. But am I ready to hear what she has to say? And are we ready to face what’s been buried for so long?
Source: Small Talk Website
Director's Profile
Hui-Chen Huang is a freelance filmmaker. She was once the Secretary General of the Taipei Documentary Filmmakers' Union. Her works include Hospital Wing 8 East and The Priestess Walks Alone.
For More Sun II
Lee Chia-hua
Taiwan / 101 min / In Mandarin, Chi & Eng Subtitles
How does a dream become a reality after 10 years? Prof. Cheng and his students at the National Taiwan University built a solar car, and the team competed in the 2005 World Solar Challenge in Australia. They overcame great difficulties along the way, and achieved fifth place in the 3,000-km race through the Outback. However, the finishing line was certainly not the end of their story. For More Sun II continues their story and shows us where they are heading now.
Source: Joint Entertainment International Inc.
Director's Profile
Lee Chia Hua is an independent filmmaker and doctorate researcher at Tainan National University of the Arts. He also currently lectures as a professor. His works include The Spirit of 8, I am innocent, I am CHENG Hsing Tse and The Beginning. His work, 24 Days Without Sunlight, has been nominated by Taipei Film Festival and shown in Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Special Mentions. For More Sun II is his latest work.