HONG KONG FILM IN FOCUS

A Light Never Goes Out

A Light Never Goes Out

2022 / Hong Kong / 103 minutes / dir. Anastasia Tsang

Synopsis:

Middle-aged widow Mei Heung (starring Sylvia Chang) has gone through countless sleepless nights since the death of her husband, Bill (starring Simon Yam). One day, she finds a key among the items that Bill left behind, leading her to his secret neon workshop and meet the young apprentice, Leo (starring Henick Chou). She learns from Leo that Bill had an unfulfilled last wish: to recreate a demolished legendary neon sign. With Leo’s help, Mei Heung tries to uncover the story behind the sign and learns the craft of blowing neon lights in hopes of fulfilling her deceased husband's last wish with her own hands. Along the way, Mei Heung reminisces about her beautiful encounters with Bill and unearths pieces of Bill's past as if they are the last consolation left by him. Meanwhile, Mei Heung’s daughter, Prism (starring Cecilia Choi), plans to leave Hong Kong with her fiancé, but she is unable to break the news to Mei Heung.

As clues of the legendary neon sign gradually emerge, the secrets that Mei Heung couldn't face are about to be revealed.

Director’s Biography:

Anastasia Tsang graduated from the Film Department of Sorbonne University. Tsang is a writer-director with her first short film “Mariage sans Frontières” (2011), which explores transgender issues, and participated in Cannes Short Film Corner and won Best Short Film at the Seattle Translation Short Film Festival. Her surreal short film “Marryland” (2015) also screened at the Udine Far East Film Festival. She recently co-directed a TV series “Till Death Do Us Part” (2018), which portrays complexities of married life.

Hand Rolled Cigarette

Hand Rolled Cigarette

2020 / Hong Kong / 100 minutes / dir. Chan Kin Long

Synopsis:

Actor Chan Kin Long (The Midnight After) makes his directorial debut with a gritty bromance drama born out of the much-lauded First Feature Film Initiative. In his finest performance to date, award-winning actor Gordon Lam Ka Tung plays a former Hong Kong Military Service Corps officer who becomes caught in a triad manhunt when he takes in an ethnic South Asian man carrying a bag of stolen drugs. Forced to live under the same roof, the two men transcend their cultural and racial differences to form a beautiful friendship in this poignant tale of loyalty and brotherhood.

Director’s Biography:

Actor-turned-filmmaker Chan Kin Long graduated from the School of Creative Media of the City University of Hong Kong. He starred in a number of critically acclaimed films including Fruit Chan’s “The Midnight After” (2014), Philip Yung’s “Port of Call” (2015), Ringo Lam’s “Wild City” (2015), Bai Xue’s “The Crossing” (2018) and Norris Wong’s “My Prince Edward” (2020). His vast experience onscreen and oﬀscreen as short film director paves the way for his career as a feature filmmaker. .

“Hand Rolled Cigarette” is Chan’s feature directorial debut, which is one of the projects under the First Feature Film Initiative scheme supported by the Film Development Council.

Lost Love

Lost Love

2022 / Hong Kong / 95 minutes / dir. Ka Sing Fung

Synopsis:

A married couple rediscovers the feeling of parenthood by fostering children after the painful loss of their own child.

Director’s Biography:

A former journalist, Ka Sing Fung has directed and written several short films, including documentary “The Art of Cantonese-Style Congee” in 2017, the 13th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival entry “A Bird Goes By” and closing short film “Gai Dan Chai” (Co-directed and co-wrote with Belgian director Kato De Boeck) in 2019. Other works include “1043rd Day on Minibus”, winner of Best Microfilm Silver Award, Best Microfilm Actor and Best Microfilm Screenplay at the 7th Microfilm Project in 2019, and short film “Check Please” in 2020.

In 2019, “Lost Love”, which Ka co-wrote and directed, was chosen as a project of the 6th First Feature Film Initiative - Professional Group, receiving funding of HK$8 million from the Hong Kong government’s Film Development Fund. The film was finished in 2022.