Eye Catcher Showcase 2023

This year’s inaugural Eye Catcher Showcase centres around embracing independent innovation and pioneering diversity in international films. I recall my first time attending the Sundance Film Festival several years ago, where I immersed myself in almost every short film on the programme. What struck me was the diversity of works in each list; each one unique, distinct from the others. Every screening left me marvelling at the limitless creative potential of visual storytelling and inspired me to bring this spirit of curation, which transcends genres and travels across cultures, to Hong Kong. I invite you to explore with us the mesmerising creative combinations of this years Eye Catcher Showcase programme and to take note of the filmmakers deep-seated concerns for various issues.

TSANG Hing Weng Eric
Director | Eye Catcher Showcase Curator

Review on Eye Catcher Showcase

5 Showcases Screening Info

1. Sundance Filmmaker Focus: Bridey Elliott
【15/6 (Thu) 19:30】

POST-SCREENING TALK GUEST:
Bridey ELLIOTT

Bridey Elliott is a comedian, writer, and director. Growing up in a family of comedians as the daughter of Chris Elliott, Bridey is known for her unique sense of humour and love for the unpredictability of improvisation. For this showcase, we have selected 5 of her works, including her directorial debut, the comedy short Affections, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and won the Special Jury Award at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Her other shorts have been selected for various film festivals, including Sundance, Palm Springs, and Tribeca, each showcasing Bridey’s unique style that blends experimentation and genre fusion.

  • Affections 

Bridey ELLIOTT | United States | Drama | 2016 | 16′ 
In English with English subtitles
Sundance Film Festival | Norwegian Short Film Festival

A comedy about isolation and loneliness. The film follows a young woman, adrift, seeking intimacy in the most unlikely places.

 

  • I Think She Likes You 

Bridey ELLIOTT | United States | Drama | 2019 | 9′
In English with English subtitles
Tribeca Film Festival | Outfest Los Angeles Film Festival

Jake thinks he’s in for a hot night with two young women, the night heats up, but not in the way he expects.

 

  • The Starr Sisters

Beth EINHORN, Bridey ELLIOTT | United States  | Documentary | 2020 | 15′
In English with English subtitles
Sundance Film Festival | Palm Springs International ShortFest: Audience Pick

Patte and Randa Starr are fun specialists. After growing up in an abusive household set above their father’s candy store, they spent their lives fighting to find joy and freedom. Now in their 70s, these sisters do exactly as they please: they live together near the beach, they always have a movie on, and the candy drawer is fully stocked.

 

  • The Feeling

Bridey ELLIOTT | United States | Drama  | 2020 | 18′ 
In English with English subtitles
Indie Memphis Film Festival | American Film Institute FEST

A pair of sibling realtors are blackmailed by a superfan.

 

  • Mirror Party

Bridey ELLIOTT | United States | Drama | 2023 | 9′ 
In English with English subtitles
Sundance Film Festival | Sonoma International Film Festival

Two friends role-play a breakup conversation.

2. Red Dragonflies : A Fiery Passion of Youth
【16/6 (Fri) 19:30】

POST-SCREENING TALK GUEST:
LIAO Jiekai 

“The red dragonflies, once so bright, faded slowly from my sight.” Singaporean director Liao Jiekai’s Red Dragonflies, which shares its name with a song by Taiwanese boy band the Little Tigers in the 90s, weaves between personal memories of growth and long-awaited reunions. The film received the Special Jury Prize at the 11th Jeonju International Film Festival and was nominated for the Asian New Talent Award at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival. This debut film of Liaos premiered at the HKIFF in 2010, and 13 years later, let it take us back in time once again. As an added treat, 2 student film works from the current ifva Youth Category lit up the screen with their own youthful sparks, intimately connected to present-day Hong Kong.

  • overwatch

CHIU Ka-yin, PAK King-tai, LI Tsun-wai, LEI Yat-ming | Hong Kong | Drama | 2023 | 6′
In Cantonese & English with Chinese & English subtitles
ifva Awards: Special Mention (Youth Category)  

Watching and being watched. In a world where people are “amusing ourselves to death”, we go on a journey of deconstructing truth. Is information technology a sign of progress or an instrument of harm? The boundary between individuals is being dissolved. This is overwatch, where sci-fi turns into reality.

 

  • Red Dragonflies

LIAO Jiekai | Singapore | Drama | 2010 | 96′
In English, Mandarin, Malay & Japanese with Chinese & English subtitles
Hong Kong International Film Festival: Fipresci Prize Nomination Film | 
Jeonju International Film Festival: Special Jury Prize (International Competition)

Rachel and her two friends explore an abandoned railway track that runs through a dense forest, but an unforeseen incident brings their little adventure to an abrupt end. Elsewhere, a woman rekindles an old friendship with a high school friend. When a little boy from her past reappears, she finds herself retracing a trail of iron and wood. Wistful and mysterious, the film depicts a world littered with incongruity, absences and traces of childhood dreams.

 

  • THOSE DAYS

WOO Ho-fung, CHIU Tsz-chai, CHEUNG Wai-kit, LI Hung-pan, IP Cheuk-han, FUNG Yuk-lam | Hong Kong | Drama | 2023 | 15′
In Cantonese & Putonghua with no subtitles
ifva Awards: Silver Award (Youth Category)   

Woo is a cross border student who must stay home in Mainland during the pandemic and take online classes. By chance, he comes to Hong Kong and stays at the home of his teacher, Chan. As they get to know one another, certain feelings develop. Will this relationship that came about because of COVID terminate when the pandemic comes to an end?

3. When the Nepalese Hen meets the Gansu Camel
【17/6 (Sat) 13:00】

POST-SCREENING TALK GUESTS:
Min Bahadur BHAM, WONG Ka-ki

Nepalese director Min Bahadur Bham’s feature film The Black Hen won the Best Film Award at the 2015 Venice Film Festival’s International Critics Week, and was nominated at the Singapore International Film Festival and the Stockholm International Film Festival. Shot on location in the director’s hometown in Nepal, the story of the children’s search for a lost hen is a powerful indictment of class and the country’s civil war. It was selected as Nepal’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 89th Academy Awards. This Showcase also features Wild Child, the winner of the Fresh Wave Award, juxtaposing the adventure with a camel in tow that complements the spirit of The Black Hen.

  • Wild Child

WONG Ka-ki  | Hong Kong  | Drama | 2020 | 23
In Mandarin with Chinese & English subtitles
Fresh Wave Award 

A wild child accompanied by a camel accidentally stumbles across the city where they bump into a policeman. As the policeman gets to know more about the child, the child enables him to let go and find his long-lost freedom.

  • The Black Hen (Kalo Pothi)

Min Bahadur BHAM | Nepal, Switzerland, Germany, France | Drama | 2015 | 90
In Nepali with English subtitles
Venice International Film Critics Week: FEDEORA Best Film Award | Busan International Film Festival

Year 2001, a temporary ceasefire brings much-needed break to a small war-torn village in Northern Nepal, bringing much joy among the residents. Prakash and Kiran, two young close friends, are also starting to feel the change in the air. Though they are divided by caste and social creed, they remain inseparable, and start raising a hen gifted by Prakash’s sister, with hopes to save money by selling her eggs. However, the hen goes missing. To find it, they embark on a journey, innocently unaware of the tyranny brought by the fragile ceasefire.

4. Beauty That Emerges from Tragedy
【17/6 (Sat) 16:20】

POST-SCREENING TALK GUEST:
Aditya ASSARAT

Set in a declining village in southern Thailand, Wonderful Town is Aditya Assarat’s debut feature film that explores the lingering emotions left behind by a tsunami. Against a beautiful backdrop, a foreign architect and a local maid develop an unfortunate love story. The film won the VPRO Tiger Award at the 2008 Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Fipresci Prize at the HKIFF, and has been praised as ”gentle and serene, rivalling Dust in the Wind”. Our programme features a commissioned experimental work by visual artist Jolene Mok entitled 180°・78°14N 15°36E・2013. Co-commissioned by CCDC ”Jumping Frames – Hong Kong International Movement-image Festival” and RFHK ”Eye Catcher Images”, this piece showcases stunning imagery that rotates continuously for 22 minutes, evoking a continuous stream of associations in the audience’s mind.

  • Wonderful Town

Aditya ASSARAT | Thailand | Drama | 2007 | 89′
In Thai with English subtitles
Busan International Film Festival: New Currents Award | International Film Festival Rotterdam: VPRO Tiger Award

Ton arrives in the small town of Takua Pa to supervise a hotel construction project. He meets and begins a relationship with Na.

 

  • 180°・78°14’N 15°36’E・2013 

Jolene MOK | Hong Kong | Experimental | 2022 | 22′
No dialogue with English subtitles
Jumping Frames – Hong Kong International Movement-image Festival

Being on an expedition aboard a tall ship in the high arctic, I got transported to different fjords throughout the journey. Facing the vast, deserted landscape, I felt extremely tiny. I basically lost my orientation, not able to locate myself, at all.
So, with a sturdy video tripod and a camera, all I did during each landing was to conduct 180° pan shots, repeatedly, as steady and slowly as possible. As if, I was rehearsing for a dance performance with my tripod every time during shooting, while the camera documented the way we practised all along.

5. Eye Catcher’s Pick: International Short Films
【17/6 (Sat) 19:35】

POST-SCREENING TALK GUESTS:
Aditya ASSARAT、Kiki FEBRIYANTI、Joe HUANG

A short film extravaganza! We have partnered with the South Taiwan Film Festival to present a selection of 6 outstanding short films with distinct styles. Lets check out some of the amazing animated films in our top picks including: My Father at Grandmas Funeral (Nomination: Best Animated Short Film, 56th Golden Horse Awards; Winner: SOUTH Award Prize, 2019 South Taiwan Film Festival); MUI, the Macau representative that recently won the Silver Award in the Animation Category of the ifva Awards and the local sci-fi short Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun, which pits science fiction against absurdity. In our animation series, we have also included the documentary Calalai In-Betweenness, which explores gender issues in Indonesia, and the graduation short film Motorcycle by Thai director Aditya Assarat from 23 years ago, offering a glimpse into the vastness of the world and leaving you with a lingering sense of wonder and discovery in the cinema.

  • My Father at Grandma’s Funeral

JHAN Bo-jyun | Taiwan | Animation | 2019 | 12
No dialogue with English subtitles
Kaohsiung Film Festival: International Short Film Competition | Golden Horse Award: Best Animated Short Film Nomination

The child went to the fathers home village for the first time to attend grandmas funeral with his family. However, his mother left the funeral after having arguments with the fathers family. The father and the child stayed at the funeral alone to tackle the unfriendliness of the fathers family and the death of grandma. In the end, the father and the child can only stay at the riverbank when grandma was buried far, far away in the watermelon farm. That was the first time the child saw his fathers tears.

 

  • Girl in the Water

HUANG Shi-rou | Taiwan | Animation | 2021 | 7
No dialogue with no subtitles
Bucheon International Animation Festival: Jury Prize | Annecy International Animation Film Festival: Graduation Films, Official Selection

Contemplation of torn walls and scars reminds the heroine of the ups and downs of love. The story is based on my personal experience, recreating the unique perspectives and inner sense of time that women have shown in the process of heartbreak and self-healing. A total of about 1,500 paintings have been drawn frame by frame by watercolours and pastels.

 

  • Calalai In-Betweenness

Kiki FEBRIYANTI | Indonesia | Documentary | 2015 | 40′
In Indonesian & Bugis with English subtitles
Women Make Waves International Film Festival | SEOUL International Women’s Film Festival

A story about the existence of women of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, living in Bugis culture in the midst of modern world ruled by binary system. For centuries Bugis people have accepted gender diversity as implicitly written in La Galigo manuscript, where they believe that humans consist of five genders, and one of them is calalai. Who is calalai?

 

  • Happy Soup

SHIH Hsin-yi | Taiwan | Animation | 2021 | 5′
In Mandarin with no subtitles
South Taiwan Film Festival

The character states are shown by visual metaphors, described in the age of internet development. We receive a lot of information every single day, and this kind of rapid change causes our mental fatigue and paralysis.

 

  • MUI

WONG Weng-Chon | Macau | Animation | 2021 | 8
In Cantonese with Chinese & English subtitles
Macao Films & Videos Panorama: Grand Jury Prize | Paris International Animation Film Festival

During a short trip, a young man and his grandmother are confronted with horrible memories. Amidst grandmas usual nonstop nagging, it feels as if suffering will persist simultaneously in the past and the present.

 

  • Motorcycle

Aditya ASSARAT | Thailand | Drama | 2000 | 14′
In Thai with English subtitles
Sundance Film Festival | Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Hugo Award

In a remote Thai village, Grandpa Koon receives a call from the city that his son has been involved in a motorcycle accident.

 

  • my sister

PAN Ke-Yin | Taiwan | Drama | 2021 | 25
In Mandarin & Taiwanese with Chinese & English subtitles
Golden Horse Awards: Best Live Action Short Film Nomination | Osaka Asian Film Festival

It is the last day before Hsiao-Chuns 18th birthday, as she prepares to leave her hometown and become a college freshman. That night, she overhears a secret which will change the way she looks at her family and herself. Even if she thinks she might miss how Little Hsia keeps making fun of her, she realises suddenly that maybe she doesnt even have the right to miss him. In the dark, as the candle light on the birthday cake approaches her gloomy heart, what wish will she make for herself?

 

  • Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun

TANG Kan-Kei | Hong Kong, Taiwan | Animation | 2021 | 8
In Cantonese & Mandarin with Chinese & English subtitles
ifva Awards (Animation Category) | Ground Up Student Film Festival 

Thousand years. Any origins will be lost in such a long period of time. But all will be reproduced in fables. The boy dreamed of the world ten thousand years later. He wrote it down and turned it into a story. This is his dream, his creation. The character he made seemed to be himself. This is a metaphor, in which he can barely clarify who he is.

Remarks:

Screening Venue: Broadway Cinematheque

Ticket Price: HKD$95 (Regular) ; HKD$76 (bcinephile / MOViE MOViE Member) ; HKD$75 (Concession: Student/ Children/ Senior)

Ticketing Info: www.cinema.com.hk 

  • Post-talk in English after every Eye Catcher Showcase.

  • All the films in this leaflet of Eye Catcher Showcase have not yet been categorised by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration at the time of its printing. If any film is subsequently classified as Category III, a notice will be posted at the screening venue, on the official website and www.cinema.com.hk.

  • All tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Except in special circumstances if any film is subsequently classified as Category III, exchange of tickets of the same programme or refunds can be made to ticket holders under 18 years of age from the day of announcement until before the screening. (Online ticketing service charges will NOT be refunded).

  • The Renaissance Foundation reserves the right of final decision and interpretation in case of any dispute. In case of any delays, screening cancellations or alterations will be announced on the Eye Catcher’s official website and at the screening venue.

Organiser:

Eye Catcher Global|Renaissance Foundation

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