The 19th ifva Awards - Asian New Force Category Jury Meeting Transcript
Jury Members:

Chan Wai (Chan), Tan Chui-mui (Tan), Arvin Chen (Arvin)ifva representatives: Teresa Kwong (Kwong), Kattie Fan (Fan)
Kwong:The purpose of today's meeting is to determine the awards for ifva's Asian NewForce category. ifva provides a platform for media artists from Hong Kong andAsia to present their works in Hong Kong and throughout the world. In Marcheach year, we organize the ifva short film and visual media festival, with many
screening and cultural exchange events. As with many other competitions, wepay attention to a work's content and form, and in addition, we also emphasize
two additional criteria, independent spirit and creativity. Independent spirit meansthat all our entries are independently produced, and are not commissioned
shorts or commercial. We hope to be able to gauge the artist's own ideas in theirworks. Sometimes artists' ideas are too similar to the mainstream, which is not
the kind of independent spirit we hope to encourage. This year we have 10
finalists in this category, from which we hope you can select a Gold Award, thewinner of which will receive HK$30,000 in prize money, a Silver Award, thewinner of which will receive HK$20,000, as well as a Special Mention, the winnerof which will get a certificate but no prize money. Special Mention recognizes
works whose overall standard may not be on the same level as Gold or Silveraward, but contain certain aspects you consider excellent, such as actors orscript. If there are no questions we can begin by discussing the works one byone.

Tan:I think Badbug is very commercial. It is not very strong in the independent spirit
and creativity elements that you emphasize, since parts of the story are very
similar to commercial films. Also there is the art direction in this film. Short films
should be seen as an end in itself, or as a venue for testing if a director isqualified to make feature films?

Kwong:

The first consideration is the work itself. Not all our participants hope to makefeature films. The other point you mentioned is independent spirit. This year we
received over 500 works, and our first round jury chose the 10 finalist out of morethan 70 works. Some of these works are drama, some documentaries, and someare experimental, and there is a fairly even distribution. Badbug was chosen by
Chan Wai.

Chan:

I like this work a lot. I paid special attention to the end credits to see what kind ofproduction crew they had. The work's standard and way of expression is rather
commercial. Also, it's strange that the things that look good on the small screen
is not so good on the big screen. The points that I appreciate on DVD are nolonger apparent, and the work seems ordinary.

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Kwong:Independent spirit is seen in the artist's vision and the characteristic of the work.
Some works merely try to emulate commercial films, and so is not what we meanby independent spirit. Do you have anything to ad about Badbug?

Arvin:The technical aspect is quite advanced, but the content is not too novel. It is very
commercial. Its strongest area is its technique, which is highly sophisticated.

Kwong:The next work is Killing A Pig Without Mao, which is done by a Chinese
student living in France.

Tan:

The idea is good, but I didn't enjoy it, particularly the voiceover.

Chan:

The film was produced in France, and the whole film’s tone was a little off.

Tan:

Some parts many be deliberate. The actors are foreigners and the environmentis also foreign.

Chan:

I chose this work initially because of the text it’s based on, but the results…

Tan:

You chose it because of its idea.

Chan:

Yes.

Arvin:The idea is quite distinctive. At the beginning the idea is very clear, but then it
becomes more blurred. The director tries to infuse the work with stage effects,
which does not blend well with the rest of the film. This is a distinctive work thatstarted out well, but collapsed on itself.

Kwong:The next work is See Tiger Together.

Tan:

The characters are conventional, but the director designed the film well. The
style is very much like a student film.

Chan:

He chose to put these two characters together, but not much happens between
the. The whole film deals with only one situation.

Arvin:The part with the male character is interesting, and makes people want to know
more about him. Unfortunately this part is not developed well.

Tan:

The monologue is not designed well, and the actors are performing according
their own interpretations.

Kwong:The next work is also from China, The Poet and Singer.

2Tan:

At first I thought the film a bit crude, and I only got into it halfway through. The
film captures the sense of male camaraderie that only indie films can.

Chan:

The first time I viewed it, I did not get into the story at all. When I got to the scene
when the old man grabs the lead character’s hand, I rewound and watched thefilms again. It has a sense of crudeness and pretentiousness unique to Chinese
independent films.

Tan:

The voice-over in the first scene is a bit too much. However, I grew to like thisfilm because its story is layered and presents many different contrasts.

Arvin:

I quite like this film. I also had trouble engaging with the work at first, and then I
just gave up. I no longer cared about the storyline, and just paid attention to thedialogue and images, which are interesting. The scene where he sings ismarvelous. Its way of expression is quite unique and shows a sense of self
confidence.

Kwong:The next work is The Questioning.

Tan:

I’m good friends with the director, and have seen his other works. This is a genre
unique to Chinese independent underground filmmakers like Ai Wei Wei. It is not
something designed by the director, but rather, the filmmakers carry aroundcameras with them at all times and record things that happen with them. Thesepeople have been followed by the police. Their artwork can be seen as a part oftheir lives.

Chan:

His life and work are one and the same.

Arvin:

I enjoyed it. But can this be seen as artistic creation?

Tan:

We can discuss later how to define artistic creation.

Arvin:

At first I thought this was a drama.

Kwong:

This category is called Asian New Force, and we have entries from all over Asia
including Iraq and Israel. It is a coincidence that there are so many Chinese films
among the finalists. The next one is also from China, called Butter Lamp.

Tan:

I think only a very confident director is capable of making a film like this. Thedirector knows exactly how his film should take shape. There are many good
moments in this film, and it feels very complete to me.

Arvin:

I agree.

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Kwong:

The next film is from Singapore, When the Cold Wind Blows.

Tan:

I find this film hard to bear, perhaps because it feels too designed. Even though it
looks at things from a Singaporean perspective, there is not much substance to it.
I feel the director has much to say but cannot express it well.

Arvin:

I know this director, so my opinion may not be very objective. He strives too hard
for a cinematic atmosphere, but the story is not rich enough to support it. He
filmed many scenes with the protagonists walking around in the streets, which isreminiscent of Before Sunset, but the drama is a bit weak.

Chan:

The beginning of the film is a little dull, and the story seems to be about a very
ordinary couple. The director turns a story that seems very dramatic on theoutside into something personal. I’m not familiar with the situation in Taiwan, so I
didn’t understand parts of the film. In the end, the lead character has to leave,
but the film does not clearly explain his situation, which is a big problem.

Kwong:

If there is nothing to add, let’s move on to the next work, Dreams in the Depths.

Arvin:He allows the audience to get a sense of that part of the world with just one
location, which is quite impressive.

Chan:

This work embodies the quality of creativity that we stress in this competition. Is
the work directed by an Iranian?

Kwong:

The film’s language is Persian, but I’m not sure about the exact production
background.

Tan:This is a very complete film. Every aspect, including character design, dialogue
and mise-en-scene are very good.

Arvin:

From the underground tunnel, one can sense what the outside world is like.

Tan:

I’m not sure about the political situation, but I’m worried that it is a bit contrived.

Chan:

Things like this have happened in real life. I think this film is very powerful, withall the action focused on one situation.

Kwong:The next film is The Busy Young Psychic.

Tan:

I am a bit sensitive about recent Taiwanese films, like On the Air, which feels likea promotional film for the Taiwan dialect. I don’t know if it’s because theyconsider Taiwanese culture under threat, and sense a strong need to protect it,
but these films feel strange. They do not have what I consider to be independent4

spirit, since they are very similar to a lot of other new Taiwanese films. I can’t
judge these films that emphasize indigenous Taiwan cultures very objectively. Of
the two films, I like The Busy Young Psychic more.
Chan:We can discuss the two Taiwanese films together. When watching On the Air, I
did not care whether or not it is a film that emphasizes indigenous culture. Rather,I paid attention to the relationship between the granny and her grandson. Thetwo actors are very good, even though the storytelling technique is very
traditional and the relations between the characters are old fashioned. As for The
Busy Young Psychic, there are similar stories like this in Hong Kong films, so it
is easy for me to relate. This is a story about religion, and depicts the main
character in an unconventional way. It looks at psychic from another perspective,
which makes this film distinctive.

Arvin:

These two 30 minute shorts are very characteristic of new Taiwanese cinema,and both are about growing up and relationship between the young and oldgenerations. The girl in The Busy Young Psychic is a very good actress andher character is comparatively more interesting, but the film is very conventional.

Kwong:

Next, each of you can nominate three awards that you think deserve prizes.

Chan:

I nominate Dreams in the Depths, Butter Lamp and The Poet and Singer.

Tan:

My choices are the same.

Arvin:

Mine is exactly the same as Chan Wai.

Kwong:We have not yet discussed which work should get the Gold Award. Can weeliminate the rest of the films?

(They agree.)
Chan:

I choose Dreams in the Depths for the Gold Award.

Arvin:

I choose Butter Lamp.

Kwong:

We can focus our discussion on these two works.

Chan:

If you compare the two, I tend to choose a work that is more dramatically based.
Butter Lamp’s form determines its content, while every aspect of Dreams in theDepths is interesting.

Tan:

I feel that Dreams in the Depths is too designed. It follows a very clear formula
about short films or short story. Every aspect is good, and that’s why I am5

suspicious of it. All the elements including the uncle arriving at just the right time
and the soccer match are all good things about the film, but also they are also
reasons I’m suspicious of it.
Chan:

Does ifva have a theme of storytelling this year?

Kwong:

That has nothing to do with the competition, which has no theme.

Tan:

All of its storytelling elements are good, and it has everything a story is supposed
to have. It is a very formulaic design, and it is done very precisely. That’s why I’m
suspicious of the director. The story is told very economically, expressing thestory with the fewest possible means, which feels fake to me. I think we canencourage this director’s mastery over the medium, but this is not a very
personal work. However, it’s a very clever film.

Chan:

But what you said about Dreams in the Depths also applies to Butter Lamp.

Tan:

Butter Lamp does not have the kind of narrative I’m familiar with, and contains
many elements that surprise me. It feels more realistic to me.

Chan:

You think Dreams in the Depths is calculated, but I think of it is being precise. Itis very powerful, and sheds light on the world outside the tunnel. Butter Lamp
also has dramatic progression, and the selection of the kinds of family to present
is also calculated. His editing also tries to achieve certain accuracy.

Tan:

The calculated elements in Dreams in the Depths is something I can predict,while Butter Lamp contain elements that are unexpected for me, so this point isvery personal.

Arvin:I feel Dreams in the Depths is a very complete story, while Butter Lamp has avery distinctive form that I haven’t seen before, and it does not have a completestory. I like the fact that it merely offers up different segments, which may or may
not be a good point. The ending of Dreams in the Depths is very clear, while
Butter Lamp is not concerned with any one particular subject, but merely
presents the audience with a taste of that world, which is a contrast between
tradition and modernity.

Chan:

Since this is ifva, I’ll cast my vote for Butter Lamp, because it is a kind of story
that I haven’t seen before, and this is very important. In my mind, Dreams in theDepths is the better film, but ifva is not an ordinary competition. It stresses
independent spirit and how filmmakers use unconventional means of tellingstories. If that’s the case, then the Gold Award should go to Butter Lamp.

Kwong:The Gold Award this year goes to Butter Lamp.
6Arvin:So you should agree with giving the Silver Award to Dreams in the Depths.

Chan/Tan:

Yes.

Kwong:

How about Special Mention? Should it go to The Poet and Singer? You alsomentioned The Questioning in your discussions just now.

Tan:

I would quite like to give recognition to The Questioning, because it is not thekind of creative work that I am familiar with. Can we give two Special Mentions?

Kwong:We are open to that, as long as this is what all of you wish for.

Tan:

The Poet and Singer and The Questioning are both distinctive works in termsof their form and creativity. Even though they are not very complete, they eachcontain new elements.

Chan:

If we recognize both works with Special Mentions, then the results are very
comprehensive.

Arvin:

Actually it’s hard to compare these two films.

Kwong:So are you all in agreement with having two Special Mentions this year?

Arvin:

I’m fine with that.

Asian New Force Category Award Winners
Gold Award
Butter Lamp / Hu Wei (China)
Silver Award
Dreams in the Depths / Armin Isarian (Iran)Special Mention
The Poet and Singer / Bi Gan (China)
The Questioning / Zhu Rikun (China)

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