Short Film Programme | Manchester Screening + Discussion | Waving Kites

Schedule: 5pm (reception); 5.30–7.30pm (screening + discussion)

Discussant: Dr Sarah Ilott (Co-Lead of the Centre for Migration and Postcolonial Studies, Senior Lecturer in English and Film)

Simon Says, Simon Says 呼~

Dir. So SIU Chi Yan 邵知恩, 2022, 30m, Drama

In the past few years, more and more people have left Hong Kong rashly to live in a foreign land. Some of them are forced and some are self-selected. What will happen to those who choose to stay? Why did they stay?

Grandma Yang's son is about to leave Hong Kong, where he was born and served for his life long and to start a new life in a different place. The return date is unknown. He hopes his mother will go with him. With the approach of leaving Hong Kong, Yang began to learn about life in a foreign country from her maid Rhea…

過去年多的日子，貿然離開香港，前往異鄉生活的人越來越多，當中有被逼使的，有自我選擇的，而選擇留下的人，又將會如何生活？他們留下的原因又是為何？楊婆婆的兒子將要離開土生土長生活多年的香港，到異地展開新生活，未知歸期。希望母親一同前往。距離離港之約漸近，楊開始從外傭Rhea 身上了解異鄉生活的種種⋯⋯

Lykke Til 祝君安好

Dir. YU Shuk Pui Bobby 余淑培, 2023, 30m, Drama

26-year-old Ann experiences a financial and visa crisis in her life in Norway. She lives with her partner, Dag in a dilapidated apartment in the noisy area of Storgata Oslo. In the winter, she unexpectedly found out she was pregnant. The two’s relationship was on the brink of falling apart. However, due to the unexpected pregnancy, she has a chance to face the problems she has with her girlfriend and mother.

26歲的安在挪威面臨經濟和簽證危機。她和她的女朋友住在奧斯陸市區的一個破舊公寓。2020年冬天，她意外地發生發現自己懷孕。兩人的關係一度處於破裂的邊緣。然而，由於意外懷孕，她有機會面對分別與女友和自己母親之間的問題。

The Dispute 原來我是不速客

Dir. Fredie CHAN Ho-lun 陳浩倫, 2022, 34m, Documentary

Shortly after moving from Hong Kong to Edinburgh and settling into his student flat, filmmaker Fredie Chan discovers a clash among locals and overseas students over the massive housing shortage in Edinburgh. Developers are converting empty lots and unused old buildings into new housing stocks for international students rather than the locals. Through an empathetic and personal documentary lens, Chan befriends 91-year-old Harry, a long-time resident and community councillor, and follows a group of grassroots housing advocates in order to understand the clash and today’s global housing crisis.

導演留學蘇格蘭愛丁堡期間遇上社區爭議。當地居民曾要求，在他入住的學生宿舍原址建成公屋，但政府因應大學城發展而擱置了計劃，令居民感到不公，並視留學生為不速之客。議題熟口熟面，令人聯想到香港長久以來的住屋危機：外來人口與原生居民的房屋爭議，及房屋政策不公義而引發的民間抗爭，原來大家都是命運共同體。紀錄片聚焦當地的草根住房倡導者，試圖了解衝突的源起和當今的全球住屋危機。導演在異地生活，從離散的身份中看連結，一窺香港以外的土地問題。

This programme is supported by the Centre for Migration and Postcolonial Studies of Manchester Metropolitan University. This event is part of Waving Kites: Hong Kong Diaspora Cinema UK Tour, organised by the Chinese Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University.

Waving Kites is curated by CIFA, with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.

Visit our website: https://hongkongindiefilm.wordpress.com/

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