The 27th ifva Awards
Animation Category Jury Meeting Transcript
Jury Members: Lo Che Ying (Lo), Wong Ping (Wong), Kong Kee (Kong),
Chiu Li-wei (Chiu), Mandy Tsang (Tsang)
Organizer representative: Kattie Fan (Fan), Sandy Lai, Sammy Wong, Jessica Law

Fan:

Today, our goal is to select awards from these ten works. We can discuss eachwork first, and finally choose a Gold award, the winner of which will receivea cash prize of HK$30,000, a Silver award, the winner of which will receivea cash prize of HK$20,000, and a Special Mention. The winner of the top
award from Hong Kong will also receive an Apple MacBook Pro. If there are
no questions, we will start to discuss each work one by one. The first work is
Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun.

Kong:

We often see a lot of local-style works in Hong Kong. Once Upon a Time in
Tuen Mun has a special approach for a Hong Kong-style work. For example,
the story spans 10,000 years. I understand that it's not entirely made in Hong
Kong, which gives it a special chemistry. That's why I chose this work as a
finalist.

Wong:

I agree. Compared with many works with local themes in recent years, thiswork transforms a flat story into a more interesting one. In terms of traversing
time and space, it is handled quite naturally and smoothly, and not in aconventional way.

Chiu:

I am not very familiar with Hong Kong. When I read this work, I feel that it
is somewhat similar to Nyala, which is a cautionary tale, a work that tries toissue warnings or provide prophecies. Comparatively speaking, the theme ofOnce Upon a Time in Tuen Mun is a bit unstable. At the beginning, it talks
about the issue of change, and then it’s about the fulfillment of promises,
interspersed with themes of countryside and global warming, and finallyback to time. It’s not very focused. The quality of the visuals is inconsistent,
the beginning is great but the middle part doesn't hold up. The visuals at the
beginning are interesting. In terms of the visual and expressive intentions of
the work, the narrative is not very clear, and the theme is a bit wobbly.
Let me talk about Nyala, it is a cautionary tale. it is also a story about going1

on a journey and coming back. The visuals of this work are interesting andfull of tension. But both works have some points that are not very clear tome.
Tsang:

It's not easy to write a story. Although there are many works on the theme oftime, Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun is complete and I don't feel lost when
watching it, so the work deserves praise. However, the director did not makegood use of the subject matter, nor did he improve the quality of the visuals
and make the work more artistic. Of course, I understand that artistic style isvery personal. The storytelling of this work is interesting keeps developing,it captured my attention.

Lo:

I have always encouraged works with local themes, especially by young
people who express their feelings, doubts and expectations about the current
situation in Hong Kong, which is difficult to do. But there are too many
metaphors in the work and too many things he wants to say, including
commitment, time, change and determination. The treatment is superficial
and not fully expressed. I also think that the art direction is the biggest
problem. The style of the visuals is not unique and fresh, and the handling ofanimation actions is not refined, which affects the look and feel of the work.

Fan:

The next work is Nyala.

Kong:

The style, images and techniques of the works are attractive. Compared with
Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun, even though it does not have dynamic
expressions, the style and movements of the visuals in Nyala are very
complete, and the storytelling aspect is also in line with the visual style,creating an intriguing effect.

Wong:

As a Hong Kong work, this one is very amazing. As you mentioned, theexpression may be a bit ambiguous, but I like works with this quality, whichleaves room for imagination. Short films do not need to be too detailed andcan be more free and experimental. The work at least allows me to see thedirector’s personal style or distinctiveness. It is a difficult work to make, but
it is unique. This is my favorite work. I wrote the word "superb" in mycomments.

Chiu:

The protagonist turns into a human in the middle, but then regrets becoming
human. He forgets his own language when he goes back to his own kind. But
in the part about regretting becoming a human being, the explanation is too
simple. He just used some projections and conveys the information in astylized way, which makes people unable to understand the state of the2character's mind. The visuals are really interesting, but in fact, all the finalist
works are visually great, so I think such visual standards has become abenchmark. I place more emphasis on the mastery of the storytelling.
Tsang:

I agree with Wong very much. The spirit of independent films is to let
directors create their own worlds, and the value of Nyala is exactly that thefilmmaker does not care whether people can understand the story but simply
expresses what he wants. It has a strong artistic style, and this is a visualcompetition after all. Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun is relatively lesssuccessful, while Nyala fully expresses itself and brings visual enjoyment tothe audience at the same time. Therefore, I think the work fully embodies
ifva's independent creative spirit.

Lo:

The personal style of the whole work is very obvious, whether it is the visualsetting or the choice of animation style, including the use of real and detailed
movements. It has a good grasp of the subject matter, expressing people’s
choices and affirmation of identity. The message is very clear, the handlingof music is simple, and only one type of music is used, but the placement isappropriate. The only thing is that, as Chiu said, when the protagonist returns
to the animal world, it would be better if the film provides more motivations.
Of course, now the use of visuals of the countryside outside the car window
and the character seeing photos of nyala on the phone is valid. The fiveminute duration is just right. I quite like this work.

Wong:

The sense of humor in the film is also good. For example, one cannot help
but laugh during the scene when the protagonist finds his partner in a bar.
This kind of handling is not easy to master, and if not done well, the results
can be embarrassing. The director creates this effect with one or two sudden
cuts, and then brings the audience back to the original storyline so that thework doesn't appear bland.

Lo:

There are not many visuals, but they are very effective. The protagonist
becomes human, encounters an object of love in a bar, and performing plastic
surgery on an operating table. The length of the work is short but everythingis to the point and interesting.

Fan:

The next work is The Visit from Singapore.

Chiu:

The Visit is my favorite work. It's full of love. The filmmaker must have done
lot of research before making it. The editing is also outstanding, mainly
because it includes a lot of incredible details. The subject matter of the workis that the protagonist's father is in prison, but the protagonist wonders if it is3the father or herself who is trapped. This kind of theme can be very
melodramatic, Taiwanese call this spilling dog blood, but the creator is very
restrained and controlled and uses a matter-of-fact tone. Many small details,
such as the ring on the hand, the light and shadow, the transition fromforeground to background, color and even rhythm, are all excellent.
I would compare The Visit with Depths of Night from Hong Kong, their
themes are a little bit similar, both are about parents and finding oneself. The
expression of Depths of Night is very gorgeous and emotional, while The
Visit is very restrained. The creator could have added many crying scenes,
but instead uses simple still shots, light and shadow as well as her own voiceover to express emotions. Her narration is sometimes emotional andsometimes objective. The artistic technique of the wool blanket blowing in
the wind feels airy to a certain extent, and avoids the typical clumpy feelingof clay or puppet animation characters, which is why I like this work verymuch. The subject matter it portrays is both very large and very small. The
director must have done a lot of research about prison visits, so that we almost
believe it is the director's own story, which makes the work very persuasive.
In the video call scene, the daughter asks her father if he could hear. I find itvery moving. The detail about connection problems is linked to therelationship between father and daughter. They can’t connect with one
another and are moving apart.
Tsang:

Some parts of the work move me. There is a scene where the videocommunication between the daughter and the father suddenly breaks off, andI can feel the helplessness of the character. The story expresses the traditional
Chinese spirit of filial piety and the sense of responsibility it entails, whichleads to the helplessness of the protagonist in this situation. With many stopmotion animations, you will feel that the characters are lifeless, but in thescene of the daughter in the car with tears in her eyes, you feel that she isalive. Therefore, the director is very successful with the material selection of
the character. She must have worked very hard on this film. The
craftsmanship and effort required to shoot stop-motion animation isdefinitely substantial, and there are many details to be taken care of. Everycharacter feels alive and the story is complete. The challenge of making stop
motion animation, the lifelike characters, and the resonant father-daughterbond all make me consider this to be an award-winning work. There are manyscenes of the daughter facing the challenges of life alone, which causes
people to identify with the character's feelings and shows the director’s skills
in conveying emotions.

Wong:

I also like this work very much. I like its frankness the most, although it is a4

bit melodramatic. Generally, works on this subject use sensational techniques
to talk about "love", but this film adds the element of a daughter blaming her
father. This emotion is very real, expressing the problem of getting alongwith one’s family. The daughter hopes to get her father’s love while blaming
him at the same time. I think this unadulterated frankness is invaluable. The
emotion of the character is connected to the inextricable relationship between
father and daughter. The work is highly finished and the props are meticulous,with many details such as the cracks on the leather chair. The scene of thevideo chat is outstanding. Stop-motion animation can sometimes be gorgeousand dynamic, but the director chooses to capture this moment with a tranquil
scene. When the daughter asks her father if he can hear her voice, the sudden
increase in the volume and the subtle emotions displayed by the characters,such as irritability and impatience, all affected me. This work moved me
more than others.
Kong:

Even if the film was live action with real actors, it will not be better than thisstop-motion animation, because it will lack the sense of distance and poetry.
The work is richly emotional, and using stop-motion animation with thecharacters not displaying too many expressions make gives the story a senseof tension.

Lo:

This is the only stop-motion animation this year, and it is also a very highquality animation. The overall art direction, way of expression, the cinematic
structure and editing, and the use of shots such as close-up and wide-angle
shots, all these elements create tension in the film. I believe that few people
have the experience of visiting prisoners, and the director must have worked
very hard in creating this work. A regular prison visit can make people
experience a lot of emotional ups and downs, so the choice of subject matter
is wise. I wish the director could have explained the background of the story
more, such as why the protagonist's mother never appears, why the father isin prison, etc., which may make people more involved in the story. It's still avery powerful work, without being too melodramatic, and the visuals aregood even though the characters don't have too many expressions. The
dubbing is a little too emotional, it would be better if it was toned down a bit.

Wong:

I agree.

Kong:

Perhaps due to budget constraints. She cannot use the same style of dubbing.
Obviously, the dubbing of father and daughter belong to two different
methods, which alienate the audience.

Wong:

On the contrary, I feel that the part in which the daughter reads a letter to her
5father in prison is like a confession, due to the fact that they feel an emotional
distance from each other. During the preliminary round, I also thought thatmy daughter's monologue would be better if the tone of the dubbing could beless wooden, especially in the beginning, but towards the end, it becomes
more natural, like pouring out her feelings.
Fan:

The next one is Butterfly Jam from Taiwan.

Lo:This one is also about a father and daughter relationship.

Tsang:The only thing I appreciate about this work is that he uses the same techniqueto constantly change the visuals. I sometimes feel that these technologydriven animations may not be able to adequately convey messages. Of course,
the works also put a lot of thought into the technique, but I find the story
development not very involving. It may be better to watch it in a theater. The
approach is not very stunning, so the work did not evoke very strong feelings
in me.

Kong:

It is like an illustration with time elements that is stretched out. Comparedwith other story-driven works, it appears flat.

Tsang:

I cannot see any strengths in this work. I see the director using the same
technique over and over again, which is also a technique.

Kong:

It would be better to show the work in an exhibition instead of a cinema
environment. The work expresses the intimacy of the father-daughter
relationship, but when compared with the previous work, The Visit, which
introduces surprising elements to the story, Butterfly Jam lacks this kind ofdesign.

Chiu:

I’d compare this work with the Japanese film A Bite of Bone, both of whichshare the theme of memory. Butterfly Jam tells a story about one's own home,
the past, etc., its theme is in line with the format of the film, because
memories are sometimes far and near, sometimes clear and vague, just likefragments of our past lives, and the filmmaker puts these fragments together
in this way. A Bite of Bone uses a realistic way to express both clarity andambiguity visually. Butterfly Jam is smooth for me, and I really like it. Its
sense of experimentation is very solid, and you cannot find many flaws. You
say that it is like a series of illustrations, but comparatively, Moon Monsoon
is even more like illustration in terms of its form. I think the director has
considered the story development, form and rhythm of the work, and has
decided to inject a stronger poetic feeling and a novel interpretation of6memory. Regarding memory, pastiche is a common technique, or like A Biteof Bone, which uses a description of the past followed by visuals. But
Butterfly Jam has a sense of distance, which is expressed with telephotoshots, and zooms in when the memories are clear before disappearing again.
The transition is also very strong. Within independent productions, this kindof method is not easy to achieve, but very experimental.
Wong:

I also like this work and agree that it can be compared with The Visit and A
Bite of Bone. Like The Visit, the daughter of Butterfly Jam has a vague senseof hatred and dissatisfaction with her father, but I prefer the latter. The Visit
really touched me. The development of the story is genuine and has popular
appeal. Butterfly Jam is a little more individualistic. The character has been
observing her father since she was a child, shaping him according to an
established image. The story focuses on her growth within the family.
Although constantly changing the mode of expression and dynamic elements
are not new, it is handled meticulously, for example, with the small objects
that echo the father's fish tank and plants. The daughter has a frank hatred forher father, and when the father comes to her house to clean up at the end, she
assumes he is just cleaning the fish tank. It seems that the daughter observes
her father objectively, but in the end the image of her father also affects her.

Lo:

The design of the work is very thoughtful, and also deal with the subject offather and daughter relationship. There are different ways to evoke emotions
with the audience. The creators chose a more abstract expression method
rather than a traditional narrative method. The visuals are artistic andmeticulous. The repeated elements are also related to the memories of theprotagonist. At first, the objects recall what happened to the family in Taiwan,
and later they were about life in France. Every detail has hidden meanings,
and the film allows the audience to slowly appreciate these meanings and reorganize the whole story in their minds. The text is very good, but since it isin French, I found it a bit difficult to follow the subtitles and look at thevisuals at the same time, so I was not able to get too deeply into the work thefirst time. I wasn’t able to understand the message right away. I don't reallylike films that you need to watch several times before you can understand its
meaning, so this is a trade-off.

Kong:This question reflects the difficulty facing jurors. In many cases, the artistic
direction affects the treatment, but it is difficult to compare different artistic
directions.

Lo:

Yes, so this is very subjective.
7

Fan:

It has always been our tradition to watch the finalist works in the theater. Thisis the way we hope to present the films. Of course, each film will only beshown once, but at least the jury members can compare works shown in thesame environment.

Tsang:

Yes, it may be possible to see more details in a theater setting, but so far, I
haven't seen much information in Butterfly Jam.

Lo:

When you are paying attention to the subtitles, you will naturally miss somevisuals.

Tsang:

Compared with The Visit, this work makes me feel alienated and not able toconnect emotionally. As for whether the approach of The Visit is too
traditional and direct, sometimes it is difficult for a story to resonate withpeople, so when it accidentally touches my emotions, it is evidence that it isvery powerful.

Fan:

The next one is the Japanese work Takano Intersection.

Kong:

The reason it was included in the list of finalists is somewhat similar to Once
Upon a Time in Tuen Mun. It is a work from Japan, but it is slightly different
from the usual Japanese animations in terms of technique. The story captures
small things in life, but the director's point of view and expression are justright.

Wong:

It has a very Japanese style. When I watched it, I wondered why the director
chooses to focus on these small things. It is not easy for him to capture
something meaningful or important to him at this moment. The whole worktells a story in a focused and matter-of-fact way and doesn’t show off. It
creates an intersecting effect with cinematic shots and transitions.

Tsang:

What do you mean by not showing off?

Wong:

The work does not make certain things clear, like why the three protagonists
are intertwined, what everyone has learned, what happens after the boy
returns home, etc. By taking away these elements, it shows the director’s selfconsciousness.

Kong:

The male protagonist is the narrator of the story, and at first he seems like a
bad boy, which makes people want to follow the story, but it turns out that it
is just a small matter in the end. This contrast establishes the flatness of thestory.
8

Tsang:I think the visuals of the work is stronger than the story. Its style is notstandard Japanese animation style, and the visuals are very strong, whichmakes people look forward to the development of the story at first, but it
doesn’t move me. Sometimes a story conveys a message to the audience, but
this story makes it hard for me to understand its meaning.

Kong:

I think the director used this method of expression due to resource restrictions,but it's not as serious as Once Upon a Time in Tuen Mun.

Tsang:He uses a tranquil tone, similar to the French animation style.

Chiu:

The best thing about short films is that they can be innovative andexperimental. Instead, this work chooses a style that is easiest for everyone
to appreciate, and the production and storytelling are very professional. Thiskind of work is not necessarily pleasing, but the screenwriter and director arevery strong, telling the story of the three protagonists who develop a
relationship in the crossroads of life. Usually, this kind of theme is notoutstanding in short film competitions in which many works are visuallystrong or experimental. The director presents this film in a very commercial
and professional way, and his handling is very good and restrained, andsimply depicts what may happen in our lives in an afternoon. I like this work.
I just said that it is hard to compare different artistic styles, so I tend tocompare films based on themes. The film describes what happens in anafternoon, using some focused and some relaxed shots, ellipsis andenvironment shots to hold things together. Certain films may not seem thatstrong in competitions because there are not many unique artistic elementsin them, but this film uses a professional style that people can easily accept
and does it very well. I look forward to seeing the director’s feature-length
work.

Lo:

I agree with what you said, that the art and animation are very professional.
The script is really difficult to write. There are only a few lines of dialogue
in this six-minute film. The editing and distribution of shots affects how
involved we are with the plot. I feel that it has no punchline and is relatively
flat. The scene where the hat is dropped at the end is very important, but it
failed to impress me. I don't know if you have noticed that there are three
short shots, such as a girl running in place, which feels abrupt. But the wholeis full of style.

Fan:

The next work is Love Delivery.
9

Kong:

This is a graduation film from Hong Kong. I was mainly attracted by its
youthful vigor. The artistic style mixes styles from different countries.
Compared with the more consistent style of the previous work, this one has
more youthful energy. There are many flaws in the film, but it is a work worth
noting. It is not perfect.

Tsang:You know immediately that this is a student work, mainly because theexpression is very immature. In terms of visual design, the female leadcharacter looks relatively wild, but the artistic skills and modeling are notwell executed. There are many metaphors in the work, which also reflect thegeneral sentiments at the moment. In terms of visual design, many students
like to add Hong Kong elements to their works intentionally orunintentionally, such as distinctive balconies, ceramic tiles, etc., which aregood aesthetic expressions, but there is room for improvement in terms ofexecution. As far as the story is concerned, the protagonist has a regular job
delivering food, but meeting the heroine makes him more motivated at work,and the plot expresses this point. The work mixes different elements, but thestudent directors are not really capable of handling it, and it common forstudents to construct their own world this way.

Kong:

Many Hong Kong graduation films are bad at time management. Love
Delivery is an example of this, some of the visuals are complete and beautiful,
but there are also many unfinished ones. Work can be elevated to a higher
level if it is well controlled and focused. In the past one or two years, I haveserving on various jury panels and have seen many Taiwanese works that
integrate local culture and traditions using different expression methods,
which are worthy of reference by Hong Kong students. In recent years, thelocal styles in Hong Kong are very similar, but there is not enough diversity.

Wong:

This work is a bit too youthful, the story and expression are weak, and there
are flaws or inconsistencies in the visuals. For example, you can see
computer fonts on the sketch lines, which may be due to improper time
management.

Chiu:

I don't have much to say about this work. It is quite lovely, but the music isquite a failure. It wants to use music to indicate the direction of the story, but
it overuses music and feels too deliberate. However, its tone is consistent.

Lo:

There are a lot of things missing in the script and execution. It uses many
Hong Kong background and elements, which makes the film more interesting.
The work is just about the love between the two protagonists, which seems
to be not profound enough and feels perfunctory. The rooftop is important in
10

expressing how the protagonists establish their relationship, but now thedevelopment is too fast, making the dialogue on the rooftop meaningless.
The dialogue is not about their relationship but their feelings about Hong
Kong, I think it would be better to focus on the former. In addition, thebiggest problem is the artistic style. For example, the styles of characters andlines are not consistent, which is a bit confusing and strange. It may be due
to skill, and this affects the overall look and feel of the film. The female
protagonist's style is more Japanese, which is completely different from themale protagonist's style.
Fan:

The next work is A Bite of Bone.

Tsang:

This work is beautiful. The nine-minute film kept my attention the wholetime. Using dots is a difficult technique, but the whole animation is verysmooth. The scenes with the character recalling the fragments of hischildhood with his father at the funeral shows the advantage of using thistechnique in an independent short film. Compared with The Visit, it isapparent that the director spent a lot of time making this work. This is one of
my favorite works. I personally appreciate its animation. The art style is a bit
like a children's picture book. The pointillist technique is not easy to achieve.
The director must have come up with a method for doing it.

Kong:

I was also drawn to the pointillist technique. Later, I began to focus on thestory. The visuals and camera movement work well together. In the use of
shots, the director used more than one method. In terms of dubbing, it’s better
than The Visit, in which there were two different styles. The child's dubbing
clearly conveys the emotions of the characters, which shows the director isgood at guiding the dubbing performance. In fact, all the finalist works are
sincere, so it is difficult to make comparisons. This is what make the selection
process difficult for me. I tend to select works that have the least flaws andallow me to grasp the emotions in the stories. A Bite of Bone does the best
job in this regard, and I was able to watch it without being distracted by otherthings.

Wong:

It has a childlike painting style, but it creates a dark feeling. Maybe it isbecause of the handling of sound. The visuals run through the whole story,
tying everything together. I try to ignore the pointillist technique, and feelthat the use of shot is very professional, but visually it is experimental andnot limited by the camera movement, which is different from theprofessionalism of Takano Intersection. Among all the finalist works, thisone has the strongest independent spirit and the same techniques runs throughthe whole work. That gloomy feeling may be due to some hazy effects the11director put on the visuals, and the scene of the funeral in the opening scene
sets the tone for the film's atmosphere. The bone-eating part at the end adds
to the intriguing feeling. The whole work looks consistent.
Chiu:

It's quite long, at about ten minutes, and it's very consistent in the way of
expression. I found it interesting at first, but in the middle and later parts, I
was distracted by the form, so the work may not be suitable for the big screen.
The pointillist technique appears constantly. If the film could have paced it
out within the nine and a half minutes, it will be easier for viewers. Now I
feel that the picture frame is constantly moving, which may be uncomfortableto watch on the big screen. The story is good, it blurs reality a bit, and it
should feature some of the cultural background of the time. With the same
technique repeating itself, the work is wearisome to watch.

Wong:

That’s possible, but I think short films are capable and need to withstand theimpact of experimentation.

Lo:

Yes, there may be problems with this kind of visuals. Perhaps it is best toview it on the small screen. The dots appear constantly, so it can be said that
it is not sloppy, and it is very consistent in style, but we do not know how thedots looks on the big screen. But apart from this, it is undeniable that thework is really professional, from the writing of the script to the director's
technique, there are not too many editing points and the handling is very
natural. The choice of subject matter is also very pleasing. There are many
works from the perspective of children looking at death, but the director
manages to master all the elements and is worthy of praise. The artistic
experimentation is difficult to achieve, it is very detailed and without flaws,
and the visuals are layered, it must have taken a lot of time to do.

Tsang:

Actually, I am very attracted to those dots. When the visuals change, the dots
are transformed like a sand painting, and there are many layers mixed
together and the color intensity also changes, creating a flowing artwork.

Kong:

In the latter part of the work, I unconsciously follow the dots, but since thetheme is the ashes of bones, I think it is reasonable.

Lo:

Even if you look at the picture composition in a freeze-frame, you will findit beautiful. The colors are mainly primary colors, but does not look jarring
when put together. These elements have been planned and tested by the
director.

Fan:

The next work is Depths of Night.
12

Chiu:

Depths of Night is the longest work among the finalists at 12 and a half
minutes long, which means that it has more chances to have mistakes. The
shorter the film, the easier it is to handle. I will first consider the overall
structure of the story, the technical aspect and the rhythm, the smoothness ofthe transition between scenes. Her control of the entire rhythm was a bit
messy, and the rhythm is inconsistent, going suddenly from fast to slow. It
expresses a story about characters who miss parts of themselves and tries tofind them. This type of treatment is common. I can sense the hard work thatwent into the work and the director has ambitions to make a great work. In
terms of execution, the story has many detours and repetitions, which may
be the result of the script structure or editing. By the end of the work, there
are scenes of wild beasts and the sky falling down, which contrasts with thefamily scenes at the beginning. The jump in tone is a bit jarring, making thefilm seem like it was edited together from different films. However, it is goodthat Hong Kong has managed to produce such an ambitious work, but thedevelopment of the script is not complete.

Wong:

I agree. I sense the film’s ambition, and some parts of the work are reallyprofessional. The technique of Hong Kong animation is very mature, but thestory development of this work is not great. It is a bit repetitive, and it’d bebetter cut down its length. On the whole, the film is mature, and I feel thatthe director wants to achieve a certain artistic level. Nowadays, many works
like to use metaphors. For example, the monsters in the film represent desire,
psychological or physical failings, etc., which is typical. If the director is soambitious, she should consider these aspects in greater detail.

Lo:

Absolutely. The theme of the work is not complicated, it may have originatedfrom the director’s own life experiences and regrets. Of course she is greedy,
and presents different problems she had faced at three different stages of life,
but there is no change in the technique, only the environment and modelingis changed, so the work feels repetitive. The characters’ fears are actuallysimilar. They don’t all need to be outlined and thus make the duration of thefilm so long. Using three characters also distracts people. The last partdeliberately creates a climax, but because the build-up before and after is too
long, the emotional impact is reduced, which is a structural problem.

Tsang:

I would use the word sophistication to describe the aesthetics of this work.
The brush painting style showcases the director’s skill. The work is clever
and the visuals are powerful. It expresses the defects of the character's bodythrough visual expression, and uses visual art to convey its message. A goodstory resonates, like The Visit. Does this work resonate with women? I think13

it is about personal feelings. It does not have a conventional storyline, andthe message only be expressed through artistic techniques. The storytellingis a bit weak, and the main focus is on the visuals. For an independent film,
the director is capable of doing anything and express herself visually. I reallythink every frame of the film is beautiful. Brush painting is a challenging
technique, and her handling is very youthful and contemporary.
Wong:

The big scenes in the film feels like a stretched rubber band from beginningto the end. Usually, films may have some big scenes and a few calm ones,
but this work has many big scenes, which makes people unable to focus.

Kong:

My view is very similar to everyone else's. I don't know where is the climax.
It should be the part where the characters find their missing parts and learnsomething about solving their own problems from the process, like growing
up. But the work fails to convey this point. The only scene that approximatesthis is the one in which the character is at the edge of the cliff, which signifies
that he has to believe in himself, but it is difficult for the audience to draw
this conclusion. This is the weakness of the work. Strictly speaking, it is alsovisually inconsistent, with the stone statues at the end being drawn too
realistically, but the dynamics is loose. The drawing style and design of theworks are actually convenient for production, but this is my opinion. The
visuals are pleasing to the eye on their own, but they cannot solve the problem
of storytelling.

Fan:

The next work is Moon Monsoon.

Tsang:Is this also a graduation film?

Lo:

It is from The Taipei National University of the Arts.

Tsang:

It suffers from the same problem as many student works, which isinconsistency. I feel they are not skilled at handling different media and failed
to meet the standard. With Depths of Night, even if the technique isinconsistent, the effect is acceptable to a certain extent, but student works
cannot achieve this. In terms of the story, it didn’t resonate with me, it's moreof a sketch. The author expresses a wish to live with the object of his desire,but I don’t really feel it.

Lo:

Actually, the work is competent. It is about a conversation between two girls
on the bed, but the visuals are a bit detached.

Tsang:

There are not many scenes that impress me deeply, but the work manages to14

convey the sense of intimate conversation.
Kong:

The work contains some life-like scenes, the abstract style is well done andthe atmosphere is not bad. Of course, compared to other finalists, this one is
not outstanding.

Chiu:

Animations can convey a lot of information from the dialogue, but this work
has a little too much dialogue. I think it's too long, and the story doesn't need
to be nine minutes long. The information of the story is presented throughdialogue and there is are not many visual elements, although some visuals
are quite clever. I would hope the director express his ideas visually. For
example, The Visit uses a lot of cut away shots. Takano Intersection has very
little dialogue, but it conveys the relationship between the characters. By
comparison, Moon Monsoon explains everything through dialogue.

Kong:

Some animations have no dialogue, but use background music to tell the story.
But sometimes I find that the music has no power, it is just there. The
dialogue in Moon Monsoon doesn't have such a serious problem, but it still
makes me feel the same way. The dialogue just keeps going on and it's hardto pay attention to the story.

Lo:

It has a lot of little things happening, and the abstract images is alienating,preventing people from getting into the film. What I dislike the most is theuse of an old song "If I Don't Have You" by Bai Guang. The song is very
good, but the meaning is too direct.

Wong:

I like this work very much, maybe because I like the dialogue. It's easy to use
monologues in animations, while the dialogue between people is several
times more difficult. The dialogue in the work draws my attention. Although
it is seemingly innocuous conversation, it is like pillow talk. It may seem
irrelevant, like constant rain, but I want it to continue. At first, I didn't
understand the relationship between the two characters. Maybe they arelovers or friends, but it doesn't matter. I like its visuals, like drifting into
unconsciousness when you go to sleep. The difficulty lies in getting out of acharacter’s own subjectivity and consciousness. The characters are intimate
but their relationship is ambiguous, and the dialogue between them is not
rigid. One character seems excited while the other is calmer and natural.

Kong:

If you cut out the beginning and end of Moon Monsoon and play it repeatedly
in an exhibition hall, the effect may be comforting. But if you watch it as atime-based work, it is hard to get into the story, so this work is hard toevaluate.
15

Lo:

Its dialogue is attractive both in content and tone, but the visuals employ arelatively abstract treatment. Imagine if you only look at the picture without
the sound, it will feel a little inadequate and weak. The lines are too simple,
even though the animation is beautiful and uses a freestyle artistic approach.

Fan:

Our jury members do need to look at many different types of works. Because
they are short films, they are not governed by established rules. The next
work is A Comprehensive Theory.

Kong:

We chose this work as one of the finalists precisely because of suchdiscussions. This type of work is rare in the animation category. It presents a
special atmosphere, which uses 3D animation to create a feeling of unreality.
The experience of watching movies is unique, but it is difficult to comparewith other narrative works. It's not completely earth-shattering, but theatmosphere, idea, design and visual tension are handled well. You willdefinitely remember this work after watching it.
It depends on your personal opinion whether it is good or bad. I look at thedesign of the first part of the film to see if the latter part is reasonable, andtry to use the language of the film to analyze whether the work has achieved
its intended effect. I think the film is a little unfinished at the end. A lot of
new directions and designs are introduced at the end, but the process is notreasonably explained.

Chiu:

I actually don't understand this work. I usually watch the film first before
reading the synopsis. I feel that the stated intentions are written after the fact
and cannot be deduced from the film. This kind of 3D work was morecommon 20 years ago. At that time, CGI animations had first appeared andmost of works were based on physical forms, and this work also has the same
physical design. I agree that it should be included among the finalists. It is a
way of encouraging in the independent spirit, but it may not win any awards,
because I was not able to get its message. It didn’t connect with me, whileother works show different facet of life.

Lo:

It presents a dynamic effect with different textures in an interesting way. The
problem is that the whole work lacks coherence, and the anti-naturaldynamics in the latter part appear suddenly, which has absolutely nothing to
do with the concept of the work. There is nothing special about the handlingof computer animation.

Wong:

The artistic direction of this work should be encouraged. Many large
16international film festivals actually show a lot of these types of films, whileother works focus on humanities and emotions. This type of work isimportant in terms of human progress. I agree that half of the director's
statement is redundant, but I agree with the other half. Suppose I want tomake a purely theoretical, intellectual, non-emotional work. How can I
present it in animation and how to represent my ideas in a simple manner?
That is the process of creation. Compared with other similar works, it
succeeds in creating tension as well as presenting a theory visually. The
boundaries of animation itself are wider than that of movies or other images,
so it is important that people know about this kind of work. When I watch
this film, I try to "see" the image rather than feel the emotions it conveys.
The director also seems to be an art major, so the film should have been shotin a gallery, in which case everything will make sense.
Tsang:

I think this kind of work shouldn’t just focus on what the director wants tosay, that feels irresponsible. This also involves subjectivity. If I can't
understand it, I don't know how to appreciate the work. I've also seen otherexperimental creations that give more room to the imagination. I don’t
appreciate this work very much, but I agree that different types of creation
should be encouraged and people should know that there is no limit to theboundaries of art, even though this freedom should not be abused.

Wong:

Theories do not have to be presented as a story. What this animation wants
to convey is chaos in space, but at the same time there should be order thatgoverns chaos, showing the tug of war between the two.

Kong:

If this work was placed in the Media Arts category, would its creative
intentions be more clearly understood?

Fan:

If you talk about categories, first of all, the director has the right to choose
what category to place his work. If this work is a video installation, we needto know how the artist wants to install it, which is related to space. We will
not make decisions for the entrants, unless the work itself needs to be shownin a gallery. A Comprehensive Theory is a complete short film, so we thinkit can definitely participate in the Animation category, but I also agree with
Wong that this artist produced an animated installation art.

Lo:

ifva receives such abstract works from time to time, but only in small
numbers. A Comprehensive Theory is interesting, I especially like thepulling of the ropes at the beginning, and the work definitely has something
to say, but it is difficult to compare it fairly with other finalist works.
17

Fan:

Now we have come to the second part, which is the nomination of awards.
Unlike Gold and Silver Awards, one of the guidelines of the Special Mention
is that the work may not be outstanding in all aspects, but some points areworth emphasizing or encouraging, but what that is depends on what the jury
panel decides is important. Maybe you can choose three works you like the
most.

Lo:

I choose Nyala, A Bite of Bone and Depths of Night.

Chiu:

I choose The Visit, Takano Intersection and Butterfly Jam.

Kong:

My Gold Award is A Bite of Bone, my Silver Award is The Visit, and Special
Mention is Depths of Night, Nyala or Butterfly Jam.

Wong:

I choose A Bite of Bone, Nyala and Butterfly Jam, and the Special Mention
is Moon Monsoon.

Tsang:

I choose The Visit, A Bite of Bone and Depths of Night.

Fan:

Next, we can choose the Gold award from the above works.

Lo:A Bite of Bone is my Gold award.

Wong:

It has a level of integrity and excellence in all aspects.

Chiu:

I was the only jury member who did not choose A Bite of Bone. Butterfly
Jam also deals with the theme of memory, and I find it more interesting. I
like A Bite of Bone, but not very much because it is bland, and I felt a little
tired from watching it towards the end. Its narration moved me and I canunderstand the whole story, but the hazy effect bothered me, and the emotions
are a bit deliberate and unnatural. However, I respect everyone's opinion.

Wong:

I also think the method of expression in Butterfly Jam is more interesting,but A Bite of Bone is better in other aspects, such as sound and dubbing.

Lo:

A Bite of Bone is more mainstream, and many excellent works in the past
have followed this direction. From the audience's point of view, I believe it
is more pleasing, the information is very clear, and all the expressions arevery perfect and professional.

Chiu:

When compared with The Visit, both works express the emotion of losing
18

family members. Even though the father in The Visit is alive, they only meetfor a short time, and the daughter feels she is gradually losing him. In termsof literary quality, The Visit seems to be more beautiful, showing many small
details, such as the video call, singing birthday song, etc. A Bite of Bone isvery stable. I agree that it is very outstanding. From an emotional standpoint,
it uses a child's point of view, which gives people a special feeling. But
looking at it objectively, the emotions of The Visit are more profound. There
are not many films on this subject, so this work explores a new territory. I
appreciate that the work is very restrained, which is more difficult to do. The
themes of the three works are similar, but the viewpoints are different, andthey are all interesting. My Gold award nomination is The Visit, because it israre to see such a sensitive work. Since it is stop-motion animation, theexpressions of the characters can be controlled, and it expresses a poetic
feeling. Since the images of A Bite of Bone are always moving, the frequency
is very consistent and the timing has been set, so I wait for it to stop at the
end.
Lo:

The Visit is fourth place for me. It has more static shots, and because thestory is complete, it doesn’t need to have too many movements. The mostcomplicated thing is just the walking shots, and the rest are close-ups. Of
course, not every work has to be full of movement. However, I feel that A
Bite of Bone requires more work, is more experimental and not overdone.

Wong:

Although I didn't choose The Visit, it was the only work that touched myheart and I gave it a high score, but I prefer Butterfly Jam which has more
exploratory elements, while A Bite of Bone is average in every way.

Kong:

When the works are all high quality, I tend to see which works have more
flaws. A Bite of Bone is very difficult to make and has few flaws. Although
the story is a bit flat, the director did not make any mistakes. On the other
hand, The Visit is less dynamic in terms of creativity. Since both works are
excellent, I can only compare their technique.

Tsang:My Gold award is A Bite of Bone. I made my choice by exclusion. The Visit
affected me emotionally. You can see the conflict between the twogenerations in this story, and the story development is based on emotions.
The technique is also unquestionably good. Everyone thinks that the story of
A Bite of Bone is flat, but the dots on the images are evenly distributed, justlike sand paintings, which goes well with the light tone of narration and theuse of child’s perspective. The whole work is just right, it expresses a kindof nostalgia for his father. The pointillist technique in A Bite of Bone is moredifficult to achieve.
19

Lo:

I want to switch my choice from Nyala to The Visit.

Fan:

So the Gold award goes to A Bite of Bone and the Silver award goes to The
Visit?

(Everyone agrees)
Wong:

Both works deserve to win, but for the record I would like cast my vote for
the Silver award to Nyala or Butterfly Jam.

Fan:

The next award is Special Mention.

Wong:

Judging from the current situation, the chances of Moon Monsoon winning
the award is slim, so I will switch my vote for Special Mention to Nyala.

Lo:

For my Special Mention, I choose Depths of Night, which is a thoughtful
work.

Kong:

Let me share my personal feelings. Nyala is a very outstanding work in Hong
Kong, but from an international perspective, it seems not to be toooutstanding. By comparison, Butterfly Jam is slightly more superior. But I
don't know how to compare Depths of Night to Butterfly Jam.

Lo:

Depths of Night is an important work for Hong Kong. It is full of ambition.
Even though there are many areas that need to be improved, there are also
many unique points, elements that never existed in Hong Kong animation.

Kong:

If I have to choose a third-place work, I will choose Butterfly Jam; if it isSpecial Mention, Depths of Night is more meaningful, but I am still not sure.

Chiu:

I have the same idea as you guys. I would choose Butterfly Jam as third place.
But if Special Mention is meant to encourage more inspiring works, will the
public understand the significance of the award?

Lo:

Since the transcript of the jury meeting will be made public, people will know
our reasons selection the winning entries, and will understand that Special
Mention is not equivalent to third place, but given to works that are worthyof encouragement.

Kong:

Butterfly Jam and Depths of Night are very similar in terms of exploring
female themes, so we need a stronger reason to choose Depths of Night. If
20

we want to encourage a director to continue in his creative direction, I may
not necessarily choose Depths of Night. What I can agree with is that it isdifficult to create in Hong Kong, so we need to encourage artistic creation in
here.
Lo:

I think this reason is valid. ifva is a Hong Kong competition, and weunderstand the creative background of this work.

Kong:

We can say that Depths of Night overcame many production difficulties,
which is closely related to the development of independent short films inHong Kong. If the award is given because of the creative background of
Depths of Night, do we also need to understand the creative background of
Butterfly Jam?

Wong:

Lo Sir, you initially gave the Silver award vote to Nyala. Why don’t you votefor it as Special Mention?

Lo:

Let me clarify. At the beginning, my Gold award vote was for A Bite of Bone,my Silver award vote was for was for Depths of Night, and Special Mention
was Nyala and The Visit was the fourth place. I then took into consideration
the hard work that went into the work, the innovation of the structure, etc.,
and decided it is reasonable for The Visit to win the silver award. Since theGold and Silver awards have been decided, only Depths of Night and Nyala
are left. Comparing the two, I choose Depths of Night.

Fan:

Choosing a Special Mention has always been the hardest part. We believe inthe professionalism of the jury members, who will indeed understand thebackground information of some of the work, but whether we can obtain thesame information about other works, that is honesty very difficult. Also, we
can’t be sure if getting such information is a good or a bad thing.

Chiu:

If there is a record of our meeting, why don't we decide by voting? It seems
that we have already discussed a lot about the works.

Tsang:

I would like to share the reason why I chose Depths of Night. It is because
the work requires a high level of skill and the work is complete. The work is
worthy of appreciation, and therefore my vote for this work is without doubt.

Wong:

My vote for Nyala is firm because I wanted to encourage another way ofstorytelling, more so than I want to encourage effort and ambition. On theother hand, when I first saw Nyala, I felt that it was an outstanding work
made within the relatively narrow confines and ideological environment of21

Hong Kong, and it shows a kind of distinctiveness.
Tsang:The story of Nyala is better than that of Depths of Night, but the reason why
I didn't choose it is that the technique of the work still has room for
improvement when compared to works from around the world. The handlingof Depths of Night has reached international standards.

Fan:

The voting results: there are two votes for Nyala, one vote for Butterfly Jam,and two votes for Depths of Night. Because only Mr. Chiu voted for
Butterfly Jam, if you change your vote, would you choose Nyala or Depthsof Night?

Chiu:

I will vote for Depths of Night. It is easy for me to compare these two works,
because I don't know their background information, nor do I know thedirectors. As far as the works is concerned, I think Depths of Night is morechallenging, and it is quite an achievement for the director to reach this state.
It is lengthy and the possibility for errors is large. Nyala has visual impact,
but the ending of the story is simple and the turning point is not strong enough.

Fan:

So Special Mention goes to Depths of Night.

22

27th ifva Animation Category Award Winners
Gold Award
A Bite of Bone
Honami Yano (Japan)

Silver Award
The Visit
Morrie Tan (Singapore)

Special Mention
Depths of Night
Step Cheung (Hong Kong)

23