29th ifva Awards
Open Category Jury Meeting Transcript
Jury Members ： Chan Chi-wa Ernest (Chan), Lau Kok Rui (Lau), Jacqueline Liu (Liu), Mak Man
Lim Chung (Man), Wong Hin Yan (Wong)
Organiser representative： Roxane Tsui (Tsui)

Tsui:

Today, our goal is to select awards from these ten works, including a Gold Award,
a Silver Award and a Special Mention. We can discuss each work first before moving
on to nominating awards. Let’s start our sharing with A Missing Scene from Floral
Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor.

Lau:

I watched it once during the first round, and the second time I watched it in thecinema, I can observe more layers. At the beginning, we are introduced to the work
as a Cantonese opera, and there are also dance movements. The director has aunique approach to using these artistic media in a video, and in the middle, thework turns into a documentary. I quite appreciate this, because with the
documentary treatment, it not only situates the Cantonese opera into modern
society, but also injects the personal stories of the two performers, integrating
Cantonese opera, narrative and documentary techniques. I admire that very much.
The editing skill is very good. Everyone knows that with documentaries, editing isvery important. I think the director did a good job of using editing on the various
layers just mentioned. I wonder if she is a person with a Cantonese opera
background or a film background, but no matter what her background is, I think it
is a work worth appreciating. If she has a Cantonese opera background, it is a big
breakthrough, because traditional things are presented to the audience in anotherform. If she comes from a film background, I think she blends tradition and thingsfrom different media well. This is my second time watching this work, and I give itvery high marks.

Man:

Strictly speaking, the song that was sung at the beginning is not Cantonese opera,
but Nanyin. I also agree that its structure is extremely complex, and the message
has many levels, including cityscape, nationalism, and gender, which are also
explained through this structure. It is more dance than Cantonese opera, and thefilming and editing are difficult to do. She also mixes real location scenes and studioscenes, and the editing works well. Looking at the credits, there are a lot of people
involved, and the shots of dancing in the mountains are obviously very practiced.

Chan:

There is an acknowledgement to me at the end credits because I gave some input
during the rough cut. The director made this short film not because she has abackground in dance or Cantonese opera. She graduated from The Chinese
University of Hong Kong (CUHK), majoring in Journalism and Communication(Creative Media). This work was commissioned by the "Jumping Frames - Hong
Kong International Dance Video Festival", so the theme is related to dance. What I
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appreciate is that it is not just a Cantonese opera or dance short film, but also
provides different levels of reading.
Man:

This story can be interpreted in many ways when applied to the world today. Given
the current historical background, the character of Emperor Chongzhen isinteresting. Nanyin can have many entry points. I think the director chose this text
deliberately.

Chan:

I agree that her choice of Emperor Chongzhen is interesting. One of the dancers, Ix
Wong lost his partner due to illness. The director includes his monologue tocompare the relationship between Chongzhen and Wang Sing-yan, which was also
very interesting.

Man:

And the final mirror reflection shot is very strong. I give this work a very high mark.

Liu:

When I watched it in the cinema, I liked it less than when I watched it on thecomputer. The work felt very long when I watched it on the computer.

Man:

I also think the director is too greedy and the editing could be more precise.

Lau:

I doubt whether Jumping Frames has time requirements.

Chan:

No, as far as I know, the only requirement is that it fits the theme of “re-enactment”.

Wong:

I also think that the dance parts are too long. The dancing is very skilful, but it is notconnected with the theme. One criticism I have is that even though the director
and the filming team feel very sincere, after watching it, I still don’t have a clear
idea why they chose this story. I don’t think the relationship between this story andthe director is strong enough. It is exquisite in form and technique. Overall, among
many works, I have a relatively high opinion of this one.

Chan:

It feels like the dancing interrupts the narrative, and so it’s easy for people to thinkthat the dance sequences are too long.

Wong:

I am not familiar with dance works, but if it is done well, dance should not besecondary; rather both should complement each other.

Tsui:

The next work is The Law in this World.

Chan:

At first, I felt that this work was shot in a more realistic style. The granny is especiallynatural, but with Eric Kot involved, his acting didn’t seem to match the overall tone.
But upon second viewing, I felt it was okay.

Man:

This is the most restrained of all of Eric Kot’s performances that I have seen. I'm sofamiliar with him, it's hard to control him.

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Chan:

When I watched it again, I felt that his acting matches the style of the whole film.

Man:

The granny also acted well. I felt that the relationship between him and his
daughter is not explained clearly at the end. That character seems to be very goodat heart and doesn't have problems getting along with other people. So, what is the
problem between him and his daughter?

Chan:

The film doesn’t explain this very clearly. Maybe the daughter got pregnant when
she was still in school?

Man:

But it doesn’t look like the daughter is still studying.

Lau:

She may be taking some kind of professional qualification examinations.

Man:

The relationship between him and his daughter doesn’t seem to be very distant.
However, the beginning part is pretty good.

Wong:

I think the scene with the daughter is the worst shooting. The camera placement
and actors are not well thought out, Eric Kot looks like he hasn’t warmed up to his
role.

Liu:

Everyone feels that the scene with the daughter is not well shot because the story
doesn’t explain the relationship between the two of them well, and that’s why thescene is awkward.

Man:

At first it seemed like they didn't want to have contact.

Liu:

I think that he is trying to create some typical situation, that is, the daughter doesn’twant to contact her father after she grow up, and the father doesn’t want to botherthe daughter, but at the same time he tries to show his care for her.

Wong:

I have similar thoughts. This is very typical.

Man:

Also because of meeting the deceased person’s daughter, who also hates her
father...

Liu:

He is afraid that he will end up like that.

Man:

The dialogue or the relations between the two people in the last scene could bebetter.

Lau:

The cinematography, performance, script, etc. of the first part are realistic but also
dramatic. I think it was handled very maturely and well-shot, but the steadicam
shot in the last scene is not good.

Liu:

It was obviously done in a hurry.
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Lau:

The best part about the preceding section is gone. The thing that the audience ismost concerned about: the relationship between the two fathers and daughters, isresolved in a very low-key manner.

Man:

I like the granny. She plays the role very well and her acting is natural.

Tsui:

The next work is From the Void of Time.

Lau:

My impression of this work is that it is simple but very profound. Although it is nota conventional narrative, many shots, such as the character turning back, leaves a
deep impression. That shot of him sitting on a camping chair made narrative sense
and made me want to continue watching this character. The use of different media
and photography is well-practiced, even though the director may be young. There
are a few shots like tree shadows that may be a little too much, but overall, they
are not annoying.

Wong:

This work is a letter or a diary. It can’t be judged like a conventional film. Rather, it
is an expression and record of emotions.

Man:

This work and the next one are about very personal emotions and feelings. It isdifficult to judge its content using conventional film language. I don’t have strong
feelings about some parts, such as the tree shadows or the poem you mentioned.
I am not usually affected by such things. I feel that the visuals and text work welltogether. I didn’t get much out of the shadowy tree shots. I would rather just havethe text, or just look at poetic images. But in expressing the message in the form ofa letter, I get it.

Chan:

I would compare it with 15 years. The two are very similar in form. The interesting
thing about this work is that it uses different media such as animation, painting,narration, etc. to present a letter in many different ways.

Liu:

The director tries many different techniques, but the usage is immature and notdone very well.

Chan:

He is still a student at the School of Creativity, so as an exercise, this is a goodstarting point.

Lau:

Let’s discuss 15 years alongside this one. I chose 15 years in the first round because
I felt very touched by it, largely due to personal reasons. She and I are both
immigrants, and have been here for the same length of time. Last year was my 15thyear in Hong Kong, so I felt a very strong emotional connection with this work. The
comments I wrote also mentioned that the film was shot in Taipei, but for somereason it felt very much like Hong Kong. Taipei was filmed to look like Hong Kong.
Watching it in the cinema, my reading went a step further. The work portrays
Taiwan as dynamic but hazy, but Hong Kong is static, like a kind of memory. For
4example, with the sequence showing school photos, I think that it represents aprocess of returning to Hong Kong, a search for the past. These memories are static,in contrast with her ongoing life in Taiwan, which is moving but hazy. In the lastpart on the plane flying back to Taiwan, when the plane is gliding along the runway,
Hong Kong becomes dynamic, but she is leaving. The static shots conjure up mixed
emotions. Watching it this time, I have a deeper reading than the first time.
Comparing the 10 works, this one seems too personal, and it has less social
relevance than From the Void of Time. In a competition like this, 15 years is
relatively inferior.
Man:

I think the weakest part is the mother’s voice-over. I don’t know whether it’s
because the writing is not good enough or because her performance is notadequate.

Chan:

I think the part about the mother was secretly recorded.

Wong:

I also think the mother's part was secretly recorded. I don't know how it was done.
The whole production method is very mysterious, and there are a lot of things
hidden. I just watched it again. Compared with watching it in the cinema, this kindof work is not suited to be viewed on a TV monitor. The effect is quite different in
the cinema. I don’t usually watch this kind of personal video works, but the director
found a way or a filmmaking style to convey her message. I agree with Ray’s (Lau’s)analysis about stillness and movement. Taiwan is moving but cannot be seen clearly.
Among the finalists, this is one of the most experimental works in terms of imagestyle, using images to express different emotions.

Chan:

Compared with From the Void of Time, 15 years is more considered regarding theuse images. I think it can express the feeling of a wanderer, the mood of returninghome after being away for a long time. The director looks back at fragments of herchildhood and conveys a sense of nostalgia.

Lau:

It is not a straightforward narration, but an immersive experience of thehomesickness of a wanderer.

Liu:

The feeling of watching it in the cinema was very different from watching it on thecomputer. I didn't choose this work during the preliminary selection, but it was onlyin the cinema that I realised that you need such intimate personal contact to enter
her world.

Lau:

The next film, Lykke Til also depicts women's anxiety, about women being urged toget married by their mothers.

Man:

The director is quite capable. She wears many hats and even sings the theme song.
The only pity is that the actors in the restaurant don't perform well, or maybe they
didn't have enough time to film.

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Liu:

None of them are professional actors.

Man:

She herself is okay.

Chan:

The director talked about the production process in the post-screening discussion.
She lives in Norway and can only arrange for a small number of Hong Kong crew
members to go there. The actors were recruited locally.

Wong:

I know this director, but this is my first time watching her work. Some parts of thiswork are too blunt and direct. I wonder if anyone talks like this in real life, like thedialogue with the mother. Does the director have a lot of strong messages toconvey in the dialogue?

Lau:

Watching it on the big screen highlights some weaknesses. The biggest strength isthat many of the director’s ideas are reflected in the work, and her own feelings as
an immigrant and the details of her life are well conveyed. The biggest weakness isthat the script is too ambitious, within the duration of a short film, she wants totalk about many aspects of immigrants, including having children, visas, culture,
mother-daughter relationships, same-sex partnerships, etc. The TV show segment
is also good, but overall, many parts are not well-linked. This feeling is evenstronger when watching it on the big screen. When viewing it on the computer, myconcentration was not 100%, and I could fill in the blanks in some parts, while on
the big screen, I felt that that many elements are not closely connected.

Man:

In one scene, the little girl says she wants to raise chickens hatched from the eggs
sold in the supermarket, but these eggs won’t hatch. It made me wonder if the
dialogue is realistic. Why does she talk this way?

Tsui:

The next work is Overman.

Chan:This work is a bit too long, particularly, the rhythm in the second half is a bit weird.
I don’t know if it is done intentionally. However, it uses different media, including
animation, and imitates TV infotainment programme “Focus On Focus” to bring out
the boundaries between supermen and monsters. The idea is interesting.

Man:

I feel that the director doesn’t know how to end it. The first part is very interesting,but it turns out that the mask is so easy to break. Maybe this is the message thedirector wants to express, but it is not as interesting as the first part. When themask was broken, it also broke my fantasy about this work!

Lau:

I felt very happy watching it. Most drama films tend to serious storytelling. This
director uses music video (MV) style to convey his story. I can also sympathise withthe characters. I guess most people wanted to be a superman when they weregrowing up, but it turned out that was actually not a good thing. Most supermen
are people who were hated and bullied. This is a good idea, but when it gets to the6part about the human extinction movement, it seems that the director didn’t know
how to draw the film to a conclusion.
Man:

The beginning part is interesting.

Lau:

I agree that there was something wrong with the script at the ending.

Man:

That scene is actually very difficult to handle. There are many actors involved. It’s
not really necessary to have such a big scene.

Chan:

And it’s very long.

Wong:

The animation is also very well done, but the work quickly fell into a conventional
pattern, one that is shared by many animated comics. I expected it to have morelevels, but in the end the part about the female character seemed corny to me.

Liu:

I agree, its elements are very interesting, but how did it get from being interesting
to being uninteresting?

Man:

The main female character has a beautiful mask, but when she takes it out, sheturns out to be a monster!

Tsui:

The next film is March Comes in Like a Lion.

Man:

I think the middle part with the cinephile is a bit too much.

Liu:

I agree, they are no good.

Chan:

Too much repetition.

Man:

There is no need for them, the film should focus on the children.

Wong:

It is similar to the last finalist work, Before the Box Gets Emptied, which also
features children. By comparison, this one feels fake. Many settings areconventional and typical of adult imaginations about children.

Lau:

The second time I watched it, it wasn’t as engaging. The first time around, many
parts made me smile, but I didn’t by the second time, because it was within myexpectations. There is only layer of reading, and the film did not leave much of animpression.

Wong:

Every character is only lightly depicted, and the film doesn’t have any focus.

Lau:

The biggest shortcoming is that the director didn’t seem to know how to end it, so
he devised a scene where everyone just goes to McDonald's to eat.

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Liu:

When they play football on the rooftop of a factory building, the things theyencounter are very random, which is a waste of time that could have been spent
on developing the story.

Man:

The security guard seems doesn't have to work, he also doesn’t try too hard to help
them find the ball. Yet he’s not depicted as a lazy guy.

Lau:I think it is a slice-of-life work, but it doesn’t have that flavour when I watched it asecond time, which is a pity. The search for the ball is like a kind of road movie.
Many parts seem to be shot on the fly, without any deeper thought on how toorganise the whole thing.

Tsui:

The next one is Lonely Together.

Wong:

This work was quite uncomfortable to watch. I had a big problem with the acting.
The two actors, especially the male actor, looks too relaxed and comfortable earlyon. He acts like that in every frame, but should the character be like that in thissituation? The content is also quite cliched.

Chan:

When we decided on the finalist works, we felt that this director’s portrayal ofyoung people’s emotions and dialogues were very realistic, and the script wasthoughtful.

Wong:

I agree that it reflects reality; it is not about love, but rather the life of people in thecity. Those parts are nice to watch, but they are not related to the main topic. For
example, the relationship between the man and woman seems to be the main
focus, but the film doesn’t go deeply into it.

Liu:

The reason this work was chosen was because of its sense of liveliness. The
characters are like many young people nowadays; they don’t know each other but
seem to sympathise with one another’s conditions. This story depicts a momentary
feeling, nothing will happen in the future between these two characters.

Lau:

The story is about two people who want to have an affair, but in the end, they don’t
have the courage to do anything. Some parts are interesting, many people want to
do things like this but refrain from doing so. To a certain extent, this is a quite
realistic love story, but it was not enjoyable to watch. Some parts are involving, but
in the end the two of them just smile and there is no follow-up. From a realism
perspective, I can understand it, but I want the work to dig more deeply into issuesof loneliness, lust, etc. I feel that the director also wants to explore these things,
but didn’t do so in the end.

Wong:

It raises an interesting topic, just like introducing a somewhat embarrassing topic
during a dinner party, but covers things up by telling a joke. This work touches
lightly on its theme. That’s the feeling I get from this director.

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Lau:

In the preliminary selection, we compared it with other romance films, and this one
stood out. The protagonist’s attitude towards having an affair is, to a certain extent,
the director’s attitude towards it.

Tsui:

The next one is Sushi.

Wong:

I think it’s very beautiful. It’s the most mature work out of all the finalists. When I
saw the middle part, I guessed that the director must be a woman. The depictionof the girl’s condition is very realistic and unconventional. The plot is notoutstanding, but the rhythm of the story and the acting skills are very nice to watch.
The only thing I have to criticise is that when the man is hit with a brick at the end,
the sound effect doesn’t match with the previous parts. But overall, it is a mature
work.

Man:

The mother does not need to be seen, we only need to hear her voice. The girl isvery attractive and makes the audience want to keep watching, which is important.

Chan:

The director is able to capture some special qualities of this girl.

Liu:

I think the ending is a bit jumpy.

Wong:It’s a bit abrupt.

Chan:

Maybe people looking for part-time girlfriends are weird like that.

Wong:

That scene itself is strange. Is the film language meant to create such a tense
atmosphere? It doesn't fit well with the previous section.

Lau:

I am more picky about the script. I cannot sympathise with the protagonist’s
emotions and her motivation for becoming a part-time girlfriend. The whole story
is told from the perspective of the protagonist and follows her throughout. Manythings make sense that way. From a visual perspective, the part-time girlfriend parthas nothing to do with her campus life. Perhaps she is trying to deal with lonelinessthrough this behaviour, which I don't understand.

Wong:

I don’t think it’s because of loneliness, it’s just a job. She used to make sushi, but
she stopped doing it later. The duration of the work was not enough to clearly
explain everything in 30 minutes. It is a spontaneous and youthful act.

Lau:

I can understand. The problem is not about story logic, the work is about the
subjective experience of the character. The brick scene at the end is very expressive.
This was her subjective feeling because all the ambient sounds are gone. With thisfilm, you see everything from the perspective of the protagonist. Technically this is
not a problem since it is the director's choice, but when I watched it, I wanted toknow more about the deeper motivations of the protagonist about being a parttime girlfriend. Aside from that, I agree with what everyone said. This actress is very9

charming. In the scene in which she is injured, the makeup was done well, with one
eye swollen and the other normal. I don’t know how they did it, but it was done
well.
Man:

The technical level is relatively mature. For some reason, she seems to live above
the hardware store. How can they find such a location? Everything is very wellthought-out.

Chan:This scene also helps express her psychological state. Her family is not here, so thespace feels cold; it is a home that is not a home.

Man:

The scenes with different clients also help express the main message.

Tsui:

The next one is Before the Box Gets Emptied.

Lau:

This work is very engaging. I saw a lot more when I watched it the second time.
Even though I have a big-screen TV at home, there were still many things that I
missed. Watching it this time, I saw a lot of details, including the relationshipbetween the two characters and things in the city. Their emotional relationship isvery simple. To talk about the sorrow of parting, the film doesn't need to be that
long, but it's hard to tell what should be cut. All elements are handled very maturely,and everything from the voice-over to cinematography are well-considered, which
I quite admire. I even accept the long sequence with the still photos.

Wong:

The photos have certain angles that only children can capture, which makes themfeel much more authentic.

Man:

That kid often holds a camera, so it’s good to put in the still photos at the end. The
two children also acted very naturally.

Wong:

They are amazing. I have no idea how they shot it. It's like a documentary.

Liu:

The interesting thing is that the work feels like a mix between a drama and adocumentary. I have read some reviews of this film. These two children were castat the same time. They were already friends, and the director spent a lot of timewith their families to build trust, and then filmed them doing things they would
normally do.

Lau:

One of them was really going to immigrate.

Wong:

It's rare to hear such realistic dialogue. I really appreciate the feeling of drama anddocumentary mixed together.

Lau:

As a documentary, the characters and themes are already very good, but thedirector’s approach is even richer. The final scene of the broadcast, with the kid as
the pitot, is very emotionally fulfilling.
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Man:

That part is very good. At first, I thought it was a real broadcast, but it turned out
to be an expression of love. Among all the finalist works, this one is the saddest.
The main character’s friend is leaving, and his friend's mother keeps asking him tocome to their house for dinner. The mother cares about him, and in the end, he has
to stay in Hong Kong. I feel very touched.

Liu:

I really liked the scene where they were at the rock. The boy points at the rock andsays that Australia is just behind it, showing that he is very concerned about where
his friend is going.

Wong:

If I really want to be picky, I don’t like that song.

Lau:

Actually, it’s not necessary. The scene is already very sad. Walking away slowly
would be more effective.

Chan:

This is my favourite work.

Wong:

For me, this one and Sushi are my favourites.

Tsui:

We just shared our opinions on the ten works. Next, we will select the awards.
There will be one Gold award, the director of which will receive a cash prize ofHK$20,000 as support, a Silver award, the winner will receive a cash prize of
HK$10,000. There will also be a Special Mention, the winner will receive a
certificate. Please put forward your nominations and then discuss them.

Liu:

My Gold award nomination is Before the Box Gets Emptied, Silver award is A
Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor, andSpecial Mention is Sushi.

Chan:

My Gold award nomination is Before the Box Gets Emptied, Silver award is Sushi,
and Special Mention is Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of theLast Ming Emperor.

Lau:

My Gold award nomination is Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicideof the Last Ming Emperor, Silver award is Before the Box Gets Emptied, and Special
Mention is From the Void of Time.

Wong:

My Gold award nomination is Before the Box Gets Emptied, the Silver award is Sushi,
and Special Mention is 15 years.

Man:

My Gold award nomination is Before the Box Gets Emptied, Silver award is Sushi,
and Special Mention is Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of theLast Ming Emperor.

11Tsui:

The work with the highest number of Gold award nominations is Before the Box
Gets Emptied, the work with the highest number of Silver award nominations is
Sushi, and the work with the highest number of Special Mention nominations is
Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor.
Let’s discuss each award. Director Lau, why did you choose Missing Scene from
Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor as the Gold award
winner?

Lau:

In fact, the Gold and Silver works are neck and neck. I admire Missing Scene from
Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor very much. As adocumentary, it is a bit incomplete, but it expresses the current social situation andthe two characters' views and attitudes towards the text. It also opened up myunderstanding of the text, as well as expressed the personal lives of the twodancers. Aesthetically speaking, the cinematography is beyond my expectations.
For example, in the last shot, he is not afraid to break the boundaries of
documentaries, dramas, experimental films and dance films by putting the dancers
and crew members at the movie scene. The director understood what she wanted
to do and did it well. Before the Box Gets Emptied is also very well done, and wehave already discussed it a lot just now. What I value in a work is how much it
pushes the envelope, but I am okay if Before the Box Gets Emptied gets the Goldaward.

Man:

Originally, I originally selected Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicideof the Last Ming Emperor for the Silver Award, but giving it Special Mention torecognise its distinctive storytelling techniques is also appropriate, so I nominate
Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor as
Special Mention.

Lau:

I have different standards for viewing the two works. I will not assess Missing Scenefrom Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor from theperspective of a screenwriter. Sushi and Before the Box Gets Emptied are mainly
narrative works, so I give more weighting on their scriptwriting. Before the Box Gets
Emptied displays the director’s strong ability to handle the entire production, using
sounds and images to express the theme at every turn, while Sushi is completely
fictional. I judge a work based on how well it expresses the director’s ideas. From
this perspective, Sushi loses points because the script does not go far enough.
Therefore, Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming
Emperor and Before the Box Gets Emptied are my top choices.

Liu:

I consider the breadth of the worldview of the work, so I nominate Sushi for Special
Mention because the worldviews of Before the Box Gets Emptied and Missing Scenefrom Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor contain a variety
of expressions to me.

Tsui:

Do the jury members have a consensus that Before the Box Gets Emptied should
get the Gold award this year?
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(All the jury members agree.)
Tsui:

Regarding the Silver award, three jury members selected Sushi and one chose it forSpecial Mention. Do you have other nominations?

Man:

If I change my mind and give Before the Box Gets Emptied and Missing Scene from
Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor the Silver award, it willbe three votes to two.

Chan:

Both Sushi and Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last
Ming Emperor have flaws, but they are of different genres, so it's difficult tocompare them.

Man:

Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor ismore out of the ordinary and better than Sushi, so I switch the Silver award vote tothis work.

Wong:

My question about Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last
Ming Emperor is the relationship between the director and history. If the original
starting point was to make a dance video, then the relationship between dance andthe resulting work as well as the main theme are not very strong. I agree that it is awell done and very confident work, but I can't feel its essence. Of course, personal
experiences are very precious, and it is captured in the work, which impressed me
deeply. It also has good aesthetics, but it is more reflected in the form.
Incorporating Chinese opera within a short film is also not common, but I don't
think those songs were well written, including the ending song. Sushi wants to be
like sushi, it seems very ordinary, but the language and aesthetics of the work areprofound. Upon entering this world, you don’t see many extraordinary things, but
you can smell and touch this world. It is about the relationship between life andthis city, and the part-time girlfriend users also captures certain aspects of thisplace. In addition, I chose 15 years for Special Mention because I feel that it is
becoming more and more difficult to make this kind of films in this era. It is not very
rational, glamorous or specific, and this style is closely linked to the emotions
expressed in the work. I have not had these kinds of experience myself, but I still
felt very moved when watching it, which came from the power of the images.

Chan:

I agree, and I also considered nominating 15 years for Special Mention, because theemotion it expresses is very accurate and full, maybe because it was based on
personal experiences. The music for saxophone at the end was also used very well.
In terms of Silver Award, although Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold
Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor has broader vision, I still prefer Sushi.

Man:

The first scene expresses the relationship between the eunuch and the emperor,
which I really enjoyed. After the emperor commits suicide, the scene in which theeunuch dances left me unmoved. Nevertheless, I was very immersed in the whole13

film when watching it, so I keep my Silver award nomination for Missing Scene from
Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor and Special Mention for
Sushi.
Lau:

As a documentary, although the camerawork is not very consistent, neverthelessthe director is able to captures what she wants. Although the cinematography may
not be the most beautiful, the interview segments and editing help express the
director’s ideas. I think the director’s mastery of the documentary form is verystrong, and I admire her technique.

Man:

In addition to the eunuch and the emperor, other characters are also very
interesting. The person playing the emperor turns out not to be so macho, and theone playing the eunuch has a husband who died of illness. These elements give thework much richer layers compared to Sushi.

Lau:

I wouldn’t underestimate the technical competence of Missing Scene from Floral
Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor.

Tsui:

How about we vote for the Silver award again?

Liu:

I also give my Silver award vote to Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold
Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor. I am not comparing their genres, but themultifaceted nature of the messages. Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold
Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor has fewer narrative shortcomings.

Chan:

I still keep my vote for Sushi. We are not comparing good and bad, but good andbetter. But if Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming
Emperor gets Silver in the end, I won't object.

Lau:

Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor.

Wong:

I still vote for Sushi, but I'm not opposed to Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An
Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor either.

Man:

Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor.

Tsui:

So the Silver award this year goes to Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold
Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor. Now for Special Mention, the works that received
nominations include From the Void of Time (one vote), 15 years (two votes) andSushi (two votes). Let’s discuss.

Wong:

I would like to give Special Mention to Sushi.

Chan:

Is it possible to give Special Mentions to both Sushi and 15 years?

Lau, Wong, Man: Agreed.
14

Liu:

I have no objection.

Lau:

I think it is worth giving praise and recognition to essay-style films such as 15 years.

Tsui:

So, there are two Special Mentions this year, namely 15 years and Sushi.

29th ifva Awards
Open Category Award Winners
Gold Award
Before the Box Gets Emptied
Ho Sze Wai
Silver Award
A Missing Scene from Floral Princess: An Untold Suicide of the Last Ming Emperor
Kitty Yeung
Special Mention
15 years
Chan Ki Yan
Sushi
Wong Cheuk Man

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