th17 ifva Youth Category Jury Meeting MinutesJurors in attendance:
Adam WONG (WONG), CHEUK Wan-chi (CHEUK), Clement CHENG(CHENG), Ger CHOI (CHOI), Kit HUNG (HUNG)
Representatives from ifva: Teresa KWONG (KWONG), Kattie FAN (FAN)KWONG:

Today we are going to discuss the award winners for the youth category. Ouremphasis for this festival is independent spirit and creativity. This year we havereceived more than 80 works for this category; this category accepts works fromHong Kong citizens that are under the age of 18. Last December, Adam Wong,Clement Cheng and Kit Hung went through all more than 80 entries and selected
the 9 finalists that all of you watched today. Today all 5 of you are going to selectthe 3 award winners from those 9 finalists. The recipient of the Gold Award will
receive cash prize of $30,000 and a Sony HD recorder. The recipient of the SilverAward will receive cash prize of $20,000 and a Sony HD recorder whereas the 3
recipients of Special Mention will all receive certificate from ifva. We will discuss
the merits of each work and will begin with The Love of Unforgettable.

CHEUK:

I find it very old fashioned, but I do appreciate its sound effect, the backgroundsound is very clear. Overall it does not leave a strong impression on me. Also, myimpression is that the directors could not find someone older to play the role ofthe father in the film.

CHOI:

I thought they figured out a clever way to get around that issue.

CHEUK:

The acting was not bad.

CHOI:

The actors’ performance was decent; it felt a bit dull in the beginning but it got
better gradually.

CHEUK:The directing was quite good actually, but the editing needs to be redone.

WONG:

I agree that the acting was decent and it really stood out. The film is implicit andsolid with decent technique. It is unfortunate that the story lacks a meaningfulmessage; I can see a bit of suspense but ultimately I do not see a clear message.

CHEUK:

I value the story and its narrative a lot, otherwise a film can be just a lot oftechniques all mixed together.

KWONG:

We will proceed to discuss Addication.

CHOI:

Originally I found it interesting and daring, especially its visuals, but thesentence ruins my impression of the entire work.

CHENG:

This can be a project for school.

CHEUK:

Perhaps the teacher asked the director to add that final sentence.

CHOI:

I will not speculate on the motive of the director with that final sentence. I believe
it is great to see young people trying to express themselves with daring images,
but the final scene seems to suggest that the director rejects everything that she
was trying to express before.

WONG:

Perhaps after venting her anger, she has decided to accept reality.

HUNG:

I would say the content of the film is very strong with its own thinking thatembraces the independent spirit.

finalCHEUK:Compared to the films that I had seen as a juror in other festivals, the content of
this film does not stand out.

CHENG:

I agree with Adam’s view that this film shows good technique and the transition
between each scene is smooth. The pace of the film, however, leaves something
to desire with; it is a perceptive film but as a whole it does not stand out.

WONG:

I actually think the pace of the film is decent with a nice buildup to the eventual
explosion of anger. The criticism seems to lack depth though.

KWONG:

We will proceed to discuss Future.

CHEUK:The remark that I left for this film was I want to attend university.

HUNG:

I saw a film that dealt with similar subject last year. In comparison, this work does
not stand out.

CHEUK:

There were some nice shots in terms of editing. And if this is a project for school,
its directing has a clear sense of purpose.

CHOI:

I feel that our secondary school students are too long-winded and worry too much
not getting their message across when shooting films. The use of power point in
the middle of them film is redundant but perhaps it has something to do with its
being a school project or the expectation of its instructor.

WONG:

My impression is that the storytelling depends too heavily on words.

CHEUK:

I do not think it is appropriate to inject words into a film at will, nor is it right toexplain so much about one’s work.

CHOI:

Perhaps it is better to deal with a simpler subject matter.

WONG:

I think this is already a rather simple subject matter and the director does express
himself in his work.

CHEUK:The good thing is that the main character is rather handsome and manages tohold my attention.

WONG:

You find him handsome?

CHEUK:

Quite handsome, I love his lips. (All laughed)

KWONG:

We will proceed to discuss The Ascension.

CHEUK:

This is one of the few works that are both solid and neat; I could sense it is madeunder the influence of American TV drama. I appreciate the directors’ ability togather so much resources and manpower to put this film together. They clearlyknow what they want to achieve with the film’s rhythm; it begins with a nicebuildup and suddenly picks up its tempo and the ending is crisp. I very muchenjoy the contrast in tempo within the film.

HUNG:

I have seen something similar before.

CHEUK:I also appreciate the director’s word in the film. He does not try to convince theaudience how powerful his story is, he merely tells the audience that he has
never made a film without dialogue.

HUNG:

In terms of neatness, this is a better work than The Love of Unforgettable.

WONG:

Overall it lacks surprises but it is considered a decent work for the youth category.

CHOI:

The technique is neat but I have trouble understanding the part about morals. As
a whole this is a decent work but it is somewhat lacking in terms of content.

HUNG:

I find the part about greed as human nature leaves something to desire with.

WONG:

I agree.

CHEUK:

I thought the execution was well done.

KWONG:

We will now proceed to discuss Press·Sure.

CHEUK:

It is a transparent and incredible piece of work.

CHOI:

It felt like a breeze.

CHEUK:I am curious if the main character really plucked all the flowers from the tree.

KWONG:

We will now proceed to discuss Talk to Bear.

CHENG:We have done our share of research and have confirmed that this was indeed
made by two students from primary school although they did receive assistancefrom their teacher.

WONG:

The two directors are now attending secondary school.

CHEUK:I am really impressed that two students under the age of 16 could make such aninteresting film.

CHOI:The analogies about the bears and facebook are very creative.

CHEUK:

Sure, I actually thought of an exact same concept before for a script.

CHOI:

Unfortunately the ending of the story reminds me of promotional film made by thegovernment.

WONG:

I have some reservations about this work even though initially it gave me lots ofsurprises.

CHEUK:The students from primary school delivered a great performance.

KWONG:

We will now proceed to discuss Question Mark.

HUNG:

I find the voice-over affected.

CHOI:

I am not sure if the audience could understand some of the jokes since they are
related to the Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity.

CHEUK:

I consider this director a genuine talent and appreciate his sense of humor, whichis lacking in other works.

KWONG:

We will proceed to discuss Final Fantasy XVII.

WONG:

I have to make it clear that this work is a project for my class. I am touched as it
can be seen as a homey boy’s monologue to his crush.

HUNG:

The background music is well-chosen.

CHEUK:

I agree.

CHENG:

This reflects the director’s taste; it is very difficult to pick the right music.

WONG:

I do not like the way he used words for storytelling; the ending was a bit weak.

CHEUK:

I appreciate the ending and the surprises that it brings. In my view, a youth
competition should give recognition to the work that offers the most surprises andthe most creativity. When we offer an award to a particular work, we are sendingout some kind of a statement, such as what we believe our society is lacking or
something that we believe in. Without a doubt, Final Fantasy XVII shows great
technique. But do we still need more of this type of Taiwanese music videos orcamera commercials? This work does remind me of some of those commercials.
The director is professional enough to make music videos, but should we still
offer encouragement to this type of work?

WONG:

If one takes a closer look at it, in some scenes the actors’ movements are
perfectly in sync with the camera shot. That was quite something to behold and I
consider that original.

HUNG:

My impression is that the director uses visual languages that we are familiar withto tell a different story.

CHEUK:

I admire the ambition of this director since he has submitted 3 works for thiscategory and they are all different by nature. It is crucial for us to decide which
one of his works deserves our recognition, since we would be making animportant statement. I prefer the naughty and playful side of him, not the solidand conservative side of him.

CHENG:

After seeing 3 works by this director, I have to say he seems to be a narcissist
even though all of his works are well-made.

CHEUK:He always wants to turn the world upside down. His mental state reminds me ofcharacters from Japanese comic book. There is something inside him that isready to explode.

CHENG:

Yes, except he never screams and explodes. None of the 3 works has thatmoment of explosion. His editing is well-done; the music is excellent and he has
a good sense of the visuals. The acting, however, is rather ordinary. The contentof these 3 works are all very easy to digest: love, life and death and discontent
with the system, but I can not say they are highly creative works.

CHEUK:

But if you compare his works with other finalists, I think his works in general farebetter as a whole. And I genuinely admire his ambition.

KWONG:

We will now proceed to discuss Accident.

CHEUK:I really like this work, since it has the highest average in my view. It issolidfrom start to finish with surprises. Once again he is able to show the state of aJapanese comic. I appreciate his romanticism and that is also a quality that israrely seen in other finalists.

HUNG:

The ending does not seem very convincing.

CHENG:

I think the director has great sense and technique. But for a short film, having
beautiful words alone is not enough; it must have the visuals to complement
those words.

WONG:

I believe the director has this problem in all 3 of his works.

HUNG:

Even though they all deal with different subject matters, the technique that thedirector employs is similar, such as the use of handheld shot.

CHENG:I am not a fan of Final Fantasy XVII. I admire this director and he shows greattechnique. If he is asked to shoot music videos now, he might do a better job thanmany of the professionals that we have in the industry now. But as a viewer, I
have trouble immersing myself into this story. His shooting style does not seem tofit with the acting. The part in which the hero saves the beauty is very comic, but
the latter part of the story is very heavy. It seems like the director does not reallyhave a plan.

CHOI:

Actually all 3 of his works do not seem to have a plan. Take Accident as anexample, the story does not seem to have a clear course of progression and its
structure is very loose.

CHEUK:

His execution is very consistent though. The structure of Accident might be veryloose, but its style of expression is very consistent, at least he does not try to be
funny in the middle of the film.

WONG:

I agree that the director does not have a clear plan, but I am still able to immerse
into his world thanks to his romanticism.

CHENG:If I have to pick one of his works, I would choose Accident over the other 2works.

CHEUK:

I find Accident very romantic and I am able to immerse into his world.

KWONG:

Great, we have finished our discussion of the 9 finalists. Could each of you
nominate no more than 5 works for award consideration?

CHEUK:

Accident, The Ascension and Talk to Bear.

HUNG:

Accident, Final Fantasy XVII and Talk to Bear.

CHOI:

Accident, Final Fantasy XVII and Talk to Bear.

CHENG:

Talk to Bear.

WONG:

Final Fantasy XVII, The Ascension, Talk to Bear, The Love of Unforgettableand Addication.

KWONG:

We have selected 6 works for consideration and that means we will leave out theother 3 works. Could each of you nominate the recipient for the Gold Award?

HUNG:

Talk to Bear and Final Fantasy XVII.

CHEUK:

Accident.

WONG:

Talk to Bear and Final Fantasy XVII.

CHOI:Accident.

CHENG:

Talk to Bear.

KWONG:

Since we do not have a clear consensus, we will continue our discussion of thesenominees.

CHEUK:

I genuinely enjoy the 10 minutes of watching Accident, because I am able toappreciate the story as well as the image separately. It reminds me of theJapanese film Confessions. I like all 3 films that this director has submitted andadmire his romanticism, sense of humor and playfulness. Accident stands out
amongst these 3 works. For Silver Award, I would nominate The Ascension. Asa viewer, I truly enjoy the few minutes of watching it and its rhythm. I believe therhythm of a film comes naturally and it is very precious. Its visuals are very rich
as well.

CHOI:

I have to confess that I know the director of Accident personally. In my view ayouth competition should offer encouragement to young people’s willfulness.
Other finalists have their shortcomings; for instance, Talk to Bear appears toconvey an adult’s message perhaps under the influence of the teacher. I do notsee any reason why we should encourage this form of insincerity. I prefer young
people to be sincere and willful.

HUNG:

I find Accident somewhat pretentious and find it easier to immerse myself into
Final Fantasy XVII, for I could see a more authentic character in this work. My
problem with Accident is that even if I do not see its graphics, I am sure I would
be to follow the film as well.

CHEUK:I have to admit the voice-over of Accident is very lousy. It is sometimes too fastand sometimes too slow; some of the images can not follow the voiceover.

HUNG:

I am touched by Talk to Bear, for it is a quality work made by primary school
students and that is very rare.

CHEUK:

I feel that if those two primary school students are indeed genius, we should notoffer them the award. So they will always remember that being old-fashioned
does not get them very far. (All laughed)

CHOI:

I do not think we should encourage the young kids to think and to act like an adult.

CHENG:

I enjoy watching 90% of Talk to Bear. This group of children delivered a great
performance that is even better than many adults. Accident and Final Fantasy
XVII both have very similar openings and endings, and the final message do notoffer me any surprise. Talk to Bear, in contrast, manages to offer me surprises
with its message in a simple and straightforward manner. Many directors havegreat technique but what we lack the most is a genuine storyteller and thatdeserves our encouragement.

WONG:

It is very difficult for me to decide between Final Fantasy XVII and Talk to Bear.

CHOI:

I have never been opposed to films with voice-over such as Accident whereas I
do not have a strong impression of Final Fantasy XVII. The Ascension isdecent and entertaining as a whole but lacks surprises.

CHENG:The Ascension is the only film with special sound effects; all the other finalists
just use live sound. I believe that is a plus point for The Ascension.

CHOI:

I have to say if this is the Hong Kong Film Awards, we should use more
professional criteria to judge these films. Since this is a youth competition, I
would suggest we focus more on the uniqueness of these young people’sthoughts.

KWONG:

Since we do not have a clear consensus, I would suggest we have a vote on theaward arrangement: 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Gold 1 Silver.

(Each juror can only cast ONE vote on award arrangement and the works that should beconsidered)

2 Gold2 Silver

1 Gold
1 SilverAwardAccident and Talk to Bear
Talk to Bear and Final Fantasy XVII
Talk to Bear and Final Fantasy XVIIAccident and The Ascension
Accident and Talk to Bear
(G) Accident(S) The Ascension(G) Accident(S) Talk to Bear(G) Final Fantasy XVII(S) Talk to Bear
(G) Talk to Bear(S) The Ascension

Juror
WONG

CHEUK
CHOI
HUNG
CHENG

(Since there is still no consensus, the jurors are asked to veto the arrangement that they oppose.
CHEUK Wan-Chi and Clement CHENG veto the 2 gold arrangement of Talk to Bear and Final
Fantasy XVII. Ger CHOI, Adam WONG and Kit HUNG veto the 1 Gold 1 Silver arrangement ofTalk to Bear and The Ascension.
KWONG:

Now we have only 3 options left, please cast your vote again.

1 Gold
1 Silver(G) Accident(G) Accident(S) The Ascension(S) Talk to Bear(G) Final Fantasy XVII(S) Talk to BearAwardJuror
CHEUK
CHENG
CHOI
WONG
HUNG

(There are two arrangements with 2 votes and in the end CHEUK Wan-chi votes in favorof the arrangement that gives the Gold award to Accident and the Silver award to Talk to Bear.
KWONG:

So the Gold award goes to Accident and the Silver award goes to Talk to Bear.

ALL:

The Ascension and Final Fantasy XVII.

CHEUK:I very much enjoy the rhythm of The Ascension.

WONG:

It deserves to receive the award for best rhythm.

CHEUK:The Ascension reminds me of Daniel Wu. The colour and the way ofpresentation look very similar. The acting in The Love of Unforgettable and theediting of Future also deserve our compliments.

WONG:

Sure, the acting in The Love of Unforgettable is excellent. The finalSpecial Mention could go to this work.

KWONG:For this category, the Gold award goes to Accident, Silver award goes to Talk toBear, Special Mention go to The Ascension, Final Fantasy XVII and The Loveof Unforgettable.

Youth Category
Gold AwardAccident
SZETO Wing-yin, CHENG Chi-hong, LI Yui-hon
Silver Award
Talk to Bear
TSE Cheuk-fung, POON Lok-wan
Special Mention
The Ascension
Stanley LEUNG, Gershon SNG, Matthew TUNG, William HALL-JONES
Final Fantasy XVIISZETO Wing-yin
The Love of Unforgettable
LAI Ka-ho, LEE Sze-long, Katherine SO Cheuk-nam, LIN Hung-hing, LOK Chui-lun, TANG Yuenying