The 27th ifva Awards
Youth Category Jury Meeting Transcript
Jury Members: Adam Wong (Wong), Lo Chun-yip (Lo). Kenny Leung (Leung),
Yoyo Sham (Sham), Tim Lui (Lui)
Organizer representative: Kattie Fan (Fan), Sandy Lai, Jessica Law, Helen Lam

Fan:Today, our goal is to select a Gold, Silver award winner and 3 Special Mentions
among the 10 finalist works. Because Youth Category entrants need moreencouragement, therefore we will give out 3 Special Mention Awards. The Goldaward winner will receive HK$3,000 and a MacBook Pro worth HK$21,999, SilverAward winner will get HK$2,000, while the Special Mention winners will receive
certificates.

Sham:

Youth category participants are under 18 years old?

Fan:

Yes. The extent to which teachers and adults can assist will be determined annuallybased on jurors’ views. It is usual for young entrants to receive assistance fromadults, but whether their participation interferes with or overrides the participants'
creation, we will discuss further. At present, we require that all creative teammembers must be under the age of 18. Of course, it is acceptable for teachers to serveas consultants, and adults can be actors or part of the crew.

Sham:

It is a great honor to be the juror of the youth category. This is my first time
participating. I want to know who this competition wants to encourage and thebenchmarks for judging the works.

Fan:

We focus more on the independent spirit, creativity, originality of each work, andwhether it expresses personal ideas. As for technology and production value, wehave higher requirements for other categories, such as the Open or the Asian New
Force categories, because many of the filmmakers in these categories are moremature or experienced. For the Youth category, we consider the artist's ability to
express ideas through their works. Maybe some works will have more flaws in
production, it depends on the jury members whether these flaws are acceptable.

Wong:

What is the standard of the works that were excluded from finalists?

Leung:

During the preliminary round, there were works that were more mature in terms oftechnique, but when selecting the finalists, we included some works that had
imperfect technique but were sincere and worth encouraging.

Fan:

You can share your views on each work first. The first work is The Endless Fate.

1

Lo:

It's not easy to shoot a work of this length at his age, but it was hard for me to suspend
my disbelief when watching it. Even though the entrants are millennials, they useda lesser-known nostalgic element, Danny Chan, but the plot development did notresonate with me too much. The work as a whole is well handled and complete,especially the part on the taxi, and uses mistaken identities and coincidences.

Wong:

I felt very moved when I watched it. In addition, I noticed a special phenomenon,
there has been a wave of nostalgia in the past few years. Even though they lack
personal experience of the former period, many young people yearn for the good olddays. I also recognize this sentiment in this work although I agree that the Danny
Chan element is not expressed very well. However, as much as possible, the director
expresses a certain feeling for the present era and a yearning for the past. The
handling of emotions in this work is not like many contemporary works, such as thefriendship between boys or the romance between boys and girls, and this really
touched me. The film language adopts traditional narrative methods, and without
much resources, there will naturally be some flaws. The character design andstorylines are a bit confusing, but I notice the use of certain techniques such as theending echoing the beginning. The use of the taxi prologue subtly expresses
contemporary situations, which is good, but the connection to the next scene in theschool is a bit abrupt.
In addition, it is not certain whether the taxi scene in the opening scene is set in the
future post-epidemic era because the girl is not wearing a mask. But in another scene
in the taxi, the male protagonist also does not wear a mask, and I feel that theconnection between the scenes is not very precise.

Sham:

The nostalgic feeling is very deliberate. The work does not explain why these young
students feel nostalgic about the past, which I find a bit unconvincing. I agree thatthe work is very complete, and that the end echoes the beginning, but many of theelements are too direct and unnatural. The blackout in one of the scenes is too longand meaningless. Without the continuation of the background music, people might
mistakenly think that the film has ended. The overall story is smooth and thetechnical handling is not bad.

Leung:

I have the same question about the nostalgic element, but I agree with Sau-ping(Wong). The main storyline is about the male and female lead who both love Danny
Chan and old Hong Kong, which is the same feeling that many young people
nowadays have. Even though the two things do not seem to be related, I take it thatthe work portrays contemporary situations through popular culture and interests. Of
course, there is room for discussion whether this kind of emotion between old Hong
Kong and new Hong Kong is accurately represented in this work.
I agree that the work is complete and smooth, the only thing is that the dialogue ofthe characters could have been written better, such as the dialogue between the boys
discussing emotional feelings.

Lui:

I also think the work is complete. Although it was filmed in school, it uses manydifferent locations, and the camera positionings are well thought-out. I don't think2the nostalgic element is very obtrusive. I believe that today's young people will
explore things that they are interested in and even incorporate them into theirlifestyles. This is an attitude or style. In the introduction of the production team, I
learned that with the conclusion of their secondary school career, many of them haveleft Hong Kong. The work reflects the pain of parting, and the work is full of strong
feelings for their school environment and Hong Kong. The handling of the work isvery mature for their age.
Fan:

The second work is Dear Pandemic.

Leung:

There are many technical problems with the work, such as mixing, audio recording,etc., but still has some parts to recommend. It captures the troubles and concerns ofsecondary school students under the epidemic, such as their worries about exams,
the alienation of friends who can only use Zoom for classes. The sincerity of theiremotional expressions really touched me. The message at the end of the film, like"cherish the people in your life", is a bit clichéd.
The flaws in the work are more obvious, like the actor who plays the father, thesound problems, etc.

Sham:

The ending is not bad, in which you can see the photos of students they took in real
life, but the first part is rather lengthy. The actor's performance makes it difficult forme to get into the film, and the performance only becomes more natural towards theend. Perhaps shooting in a documentary style would make it easier for me to identify
with this subject.

Lui:

I think the beginning and end of the work are handled in an educational TV style,but the middle part is not bad. Shooting in that room makes it easier to enter theworld of the female lead, and some parts give a feeling of shooting a music video. It
is interesting to show the photos of the students at the end, but adding those wordsof encouragement and narration makes it preachy and alienates the audience.

Wong:

The messages of encouragement at the end are relatively bad. I quite like the designof inserting segments of parents at the beginning and the end, and the takeaway scene
at the end is the most authentic and natural part of the whole film. It's a good idea tostart with the parents at the beginning, but it's better to avoid close-up shots. The plotof the female lead taking Zoom classes in her room reflects the reality of their lives.

Lo:

The female lead's performance is quite natural, but the other characters don't seemto be in the same world, which reduces the dramatic effect and is a pity. But overall
it is more mature than the works about the epidemic last year.

Sham:

It’d be better to add more Zoom scenes or scenes of friends texting each other.

Fan:

The next one is In Pursuit of Friendship.

Sham:

I like this work very much, the male lead who wears glasses is very natural. There
are some technical problems with the lighting and exposure, and also sound3

recording, but other scenes including the station, playing basketball, and the ending
shot are not bad, and you can understand the emotional turmoil and the fates of thecharacters.
Lo:

I also like this work, especially the low-key and subtly rich texture of boy’s love,and the complex feelings of whether to admit their feelings for one another. Of
course, there are shortcomings in the technical aspect, but the camerawork is
sensitive. The birthday celebration scene uses a long two-shot, thus conveying thefeelings between the protagonists. I really like it and can feel the emotional
interaction of these characters who want to get close but can't.

Wong:

I think the overall performance is very embarrassing. The technical and visual
aspects of the film cannot adequately convey the emotions, and this inadequacy
makes it difficult for me to fall into the story.

Leung:I wasn’t able to get into the drama either. The interaction between actors is a bit
embarrassing, which is perhaps the subtle feeling that Lo mentioned. But I agree thatthe use of the station for the beginning and ending scene, the camerawork and theplot are mature. In fact, there is not much problem with the flow of the whole story,
but the actors’ performances and emotional expressions are a little insufficient.

Lui:

I think the director's choice of scenes is appropriate, but I also feel that the two actors
are a little unnatural. Perhaps because they are amateurs, their body language is notnatural. The use of two-shots for the birthday cake scene is very brave, but
unfortunately the dialogue and pace in the middle of the film are slightly inferior,otherwise the film could be better.

Fan:

The next one is Goodbye In A Time Of Despair.

Lo:

I really like the cinematography and rhythm in film editing of this work. The in andout are well done. For example, after a blackout shot, there’s a shot of the maleprotagonist looking out of the window in the metro, instead of showing the wholeaction of turning his head and looking back. This shot is quite powerful. There is aunique sense of awkwardness in the editing, which greatly adds to the rhythm of thefilm. At the same time, many lines of dialogue in the film are full of realism. The
camerawork is also very good. For example, the scene of the male protagonist
carrying the suitcase is very clean, without using too many shots. The entire film
uses the visual diary method, and the treatment of the material is good.

Leung:

The camerawork does not directly highlight the subject. For example, in the sceneof two people dragging their suitcases on the road, you will be naturally drawn tothem. This kind of arrangement is very successful. In addition, the work is a bit
similar to the work, Brown Flowers, Yellow Leaves which we will discuss later. The
latter is auteur led, while this one uses dialogue between the two characters to
express its ideas. The dialogue leaves room to the imagination, and is poetical. The
work does not express emotions in an obvious way, but conveys them through scenes
and poetic dialogue.
4

Wong:

The work does not use traditional storytelling techniques, but employs lyrical andplot-advancing dialogue to complement the development of the story. However, I
think the abruptness of the work is due to the inaccurate execution of filming. For
example, the long pauses of the still image in the catalogue are very strange, andthere is a lack of precision in the camerawork and other techniques. The final scene
conveys the message of sunshine after the rain, but the director chooses to focus hiscamera on some bricks, which is puzzling. In addition, the collision of the ambient
sound mixing is also problematic.

Lui:

I think the dialogue of the characters and the use of camera shots are very
experimental, but the work fails to achieve the appropriate rhythm.

Sham:

I couldn't take in this work at first. Although the shooting style is unique, the content
is intriguing. The sound affected my concentration, there was a lot of rustling sound.
The work is complete, it would be better if the sound is as good as the visuals.
Overall, the work has potential, but many elements are still rough.

Fan:

The next one is Hide and Seek.

Sham:

I like this work very much. Although the performance of the two actors could bebetter, the way the story was told allowed me to get into the story right away and tofeel the emotions expressed as the plot unfolded. From the audience's point of view,
I think this eight-minute film is a success. The theme is quite special, with thementioning of SARS from many years ago, which brings up many memories of that
period.

Wong:

I agree that the technique of the work successfully drives the atmosphere anddevelopment of the story. Using the pandemic as the theme, I thought at first the film
would be very heavy, but the scene of the student playing hide-and-seek with theschool staff in the middle, along with the music, gave me an unexpected feeling, andit was the first turning point of the film. The janitor recalls her son's death fromSARS in 2003 was the second unexpected twist. However, the work lacks a core ofview, and fails to stick to the main theme with all the twists and turns, but only uses
the pandemic to tell a story. The costume design can be a little more well-thoughtout, I didn’t recognize the janitor at first.

Lui:

This is the only work that talks about SARS in addition to COVID, which is a very
smart approach. Although the middle part is interesting and playful, it mixes wellwith the sadness towards the end, and it is enjoyable to watch. I don't think the plot
twists are forced. For young people, the current epidemic is a personal experience,
while SARS happened a long time ago. Although I can't quite understand thecommunication problem between the two generations that the director wants toshow, the work expresses the scars left upon Hong Kong people during the twopandemics. Such contrast is quite good. The whole story is also very complete.

Leung:

I agree that this work looks at the theme of the pandemic from a different perspective.
I don't really think the plot twist was forced as well. The work fully describes anexperience and the interaction of the two protagonists, but lacks sufficient
5interpretation from the artist. The ending plot could have more play to express the
director’s concerns for this theme. It is a pity by just ending it with the motherlooking at the photo in the park and then the camera slowly tilting up. Perhaps as
Tim (Lui) said, it is to bring out the scars on Hong Kong people during the twopandemics, but for me, the audience's interpretation of the story should be based on
the starting point of the work. If the creator wants to express the scars of thepandemic, there needs to be more emphasis in storytelling. Another example is thatthe director's statement claims they are using the work to express generation gap, but
it feels that viewers understand this theme differently, which also shows that themessage of the film is not communicated in an obvious and profound way.
Wong:

Actually, when I watched the film, I didn't feel that the plot twist was forced or
artificial. On the contrary, as Kenny (Leung) said, the relationship between the two
protagonists is a little vague and the characters lack psychological depth, whichcaused this feeling of coincidence. If the work compares the inner pain of the student
and the janitor’s past, the theme will be clearer.

Fan:

The next work is Disregulation.

Wong:

I like this work very much. After watching many works of young people, I foundthat many secondary school students like to make films on the theme of what I call
“School Purgatory”, about homework and exam pressure. Disregulation represents
a more contemporary evolution of this genre, and I'm glad this type of film continues
this theme. The motivation behind the work also touched me.

Sham:This work is like a secondary school student version of Black Mirror. The
monologue and acting skills of the first scene are very good; the black and whitevisuals don’t look pretentious and even improve the film. I appreciate that thedirector has the courage to shoot in this style, and the music is also well-chosen. The
only thing is that the length of the film can be shortened a little because the film
starts to repeat itself in the latter part, but in general, the content is rich. The work
uses dialogue to explain the plot. As I watched it, I looked forward to thedevelopment of the story, like what would happen to the student wearing glasses
after he goes to the rooftop.

Lui:

I will also describe this work as awesome. I believe everyone has the same opinion.

Wong:

I am very happy that the school is willing to provide locations for the students toshoot.

Lo:

I don't have much opinion about this work because it's really well done. I believethat it is not easy for secondary school students to handle this subject. They need tothink about a lot of things, about what constitutes “power”, and put everything into
a 22-minute video. However, I also feel that the film is too long, especially in the
middle when the director makes use of parallel editing, which is a dangerous act. In
addition, the work brings up the "panopticon" concept of power, which is used until
the end. The characters are in a state of mutual monitoring, checks and balances, andimprisonment. The director must apply these concepts throughout the script,
6otherwise it will easily become too dramatic. The middle and ending sections are a
bit repetitive. Since the ending is all about breaking through the predicament, there
is no need to repeat too much.
Leung:

I want to add that I really like all the characters wearing face masks and just showing
their eyes. Under the epidemic, whether or not to wear face masks during shooting
is an issue that every creator needs to deal with. All the characters in the film wear
face masks with only their eyes disclosed, and so audiences cannot see theirexpressions under the masks. This approach fits the plot, and not only makes theatmosphere gloomier, the behavior of the students also appears more consistent. This
expression is very reasonable and clever.

Fan:

The next work is Nightmare.

Sham:

I don't watch horror movies. Of course, the director presents a very stereotyped
image of ghosts: red clothes, bare feet, and masks. As a horror film, I think this work
is a success. I assume that the film employs certain metaphors, maybe the maleprotagonist did not kill anyone and that the girl may have committed suicide, thecorpse may symbolize an emotion, etc. Otherwise, it's a complete horror movie.

Leung:

I also think the work is a success, telling a complete horror story with somestereotypical elements in three minutes. Certain camera movements and music createa terrifying atmosphere, and the story itself is reasonable. The frightening aspect is
not due to direct sensory stimulation. For example, when the male protagonist sits
down, the mirror behind him shows the face of the female ghost. This kind of lowkey horror, coupled with the fact that this horror film was done by a student makes
it quite successful. This is also the reason why the work can become one of the 10
finalist works.

Wong:

The work does not have any big messages to convey. It feels like a young person
who is into horror films has made a short film in a genre she likes in a diligent andattentive way. Although it's not very creative, I can feel that the director has reallystudied the techniques and feelings of horror films, which she puts to use in an
effective manner.

Fan:

We really rarely receive ghost or horror film entries.

Lui:

Horror films are hard to make and create the appropriate atmosphere.

Sham:

Is this a competent horror film?

Wong:

If the film does not have any message to convey and is simply a horror film, I should
analyze its handling. To critique whether it is a competent work. I would say that thefilmmaker has some creative abilities, but the film still has many flaws. Even if you
just want to present horror using film techniques, you can still be creative. The
filmmaker is just trying to learn and apply certain elements and genre conventions
that she has seen in horror movies. She does capture some of the spirit of such films
with the lighting and scenes, but overall, it's not very creative.
7

Fan:

The next work is Brown Flowers, Yellow Leaves.

Wong:

I have a question, does the creator really have colour vision deficiency? It is quite acrucial point in evaluating this work.

Sham:

I also have the same question.

Lo:

My impression is that the director does not necessarily have colour vision deficiency,
but tries to explore this realm. However, the failure of the work is that the subject
needs to be presented visually, but the director relies too much on oral presentation.
Visually, you can say the work tries to be creative, but the narration is not creativeat all, and everything is explained in a straightforward way, which is a pity.

Wong:

The whole work only presents one idea. It feels unremarkable and unconvincing.

Sham:

I think it would be good if it were a piece of writing. I quite like the text, especiallythe ending part where she describes the blue sky, very encouraging. But I don't think
she makes good use of the film medium. The work could have been presented as aphoto or an article. As a short film, it is too flat. It feels like listening to a text witha lot of visuals. Compared with other works, I feel that the work is not too complete.

Fan:

The next work is Relinquished.

Sham:

I think this work is from Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity. I gave a lot of extra
points because of the male actor. Overall, every aspect of the work is wellconsidered. It is an ambitious work. When I read the catalogue again, I realized that
there is no dialogue in the film, which I didn't notice when I first watched it.
Although the story is not too eventful, the artistic conception, art direction,
camerawork, lighting and dance are all very good. Some sections could be shorteneda bit, such as the scene where the female lead looks up at the sky. Not using dialogue
to convey emotions is quite amazing.

Wong:

This is a very complete work. I also quickly guessed that it is from the School of
Creativity. The technique and aesthetics are outstanding, which are expressed verystrongly and naturally. Even though its narration is not difficult, the grasp of story
development, artistic conception and emotional ideas is solid and all aspects are welldone. There is no big message to convey, but simply portrays a nice-looking visualjourney. The acting is natural, and because the plot is not too complicated, the actors
simply convey the feeling of being relinquished. All these are achieved because of
the deep-rooted aesthetics of the directors. The only technical criticism is that in thedoll clawing machine scene, it lacks a shot of the doll being captured, which I thinkis very important.

Lo:Over the past few years, whenever I saw works from Shau Kee, they were always
beautifully made. This year, I appreciate their aesthetics and talent. One can easily
see the hard work behind this work, with its art direction and lighting effects, which
are even better than the works of previous years. I also agree that the male actor adds
8

a lot to the film, and it is rare to see an actor in the Youth category whose
performance is so convincing. His emotional expression, physical condition andgender exploration are very convincing, which is what I like most about this work.
The scene in which he walks down the stairs slowly near the road is emotionallymoving. In the shot with the bus passing by behind him, the creators incorporate thetactile feelings about the city and broaden their inner feelings.
Lui:

As an audience, the only thing I feel dissatisfied with is that I hope to know themessage expressed in this work. I can understand that relinquishing is a conscious
act, expressing pursuit and desire, but the scene of the actor on the beach at the end
is confusing. I can't fully understand what the director wants to express or what theirconcerns are, which makes it hard for me to get into the work. In contrast,
Disregulation is not just excellent, but gives me something to think about.

Sham:

I’d put Relinquished alongside Brown Flowers, Yellow Leaves. With the latter, you
can easily understand the director's message, but Relinquished uses film language
to express its ideas, giving people room for imagination, and the aesthetics are also
very beautiful. Brown Flowers, Yellow Leaves uses only words. In a short film
competition, I am rather appreciative of Relinquished on using actors and lighting
to tell a story.

Fan:

The last work is The Living Sea.

Sham:

I would like to know why this work was chosen as one of the finalists. It's acompletely different type of film.

Lui:

During the preliminary selection, we appreciated that this director made adocumentary. Of course, it may not be able to reach the standard of what adocumentary should be like. When shooting documentaries, many students fall into
the style of conventional environmental protection films. This work makes me feelthat the filmmaker genuinely cares about relevant issues, although the interview
techniques, newspaper clippings and materials she drew are immature.

Lo:

It shows the consciousness of the director, instead of showing her daily life. If thesea plays a big part in her life, the resulting work is a bit conventional. But I still feel
her creative ideas and that the sea is very dear to her heart. Shooting a documentaryat this age is also not an easy task. The work is quite decent.

Wong:

I really enjoyed watching this work. Local youth documentaries are always
homework about campus life or community-themed issues. Because the creator isquite unique, having been interested in diving from a very young age, she is at anadvantage, and just examining the issue in a normal way is already very special.
After watching it, I feel like I have gained a lot of knowledge about this subject.
Even though the situation in Hong Kong has been disheartening in recent years, thefilm made me realize that there are still valuable things like corals in Hong Kong,and there is a group of young people, including a girl from Macedonia, doingconservation work. This perspective is pretty fresh.
9

Lo:

When I watched this film in the preliminary round, I had a strange feeling that I was
not in Hong Kong. Over the past few years, many works all show Hong Kong incertain ways, but this film made me suddenly jump out of the usual convention andre-establish my understanding of Hong Kong.

Sham:

I like watching documentaries very much. As a documentary, I think this is a very
conventional work, filled with hard facts, and it makes me feel like I'm reading apiece of homework. I appreciate the director's own precise and professional
knowledge. As a viewer, I need further explanations. For example, when theinterviewee mentions the problem of coral ossification, I was able to connect thesound with the picture and understand the reason why the coral turned white. The
spirit of the work is commendable. I am very grateful to the director for using shortfilms to promote the message that she wants to convey. However, she puts in too
many hard facts into the documentary.

Fan:

Now we have come to the second part, which is the nomination of awards.

Wong:

I choose Disregulation for the Gold Award, Relinquished for Silver Award.

Lui:

Those are my choices too.

Wong:

For Special Mention, I nominate The Endless Fate, Goodbye In A Time Of Despair
and The Living Sea.

Leung:

I choose Disregulation for the Gold Award. I am not sure about the Silver Award.
For Special Mention, I choose Relinquished, Hide and Seek, Goodbye In A TimeOf Despair and The Endless Fate.

Lui:

My Special Mentions are The Endless Fate, Hide and Seek and The Living Sea.

Sham:

I choose Disregulation for the Gold Award, the Silver Award can be either
Relinquished or Hide and Seek, but I give Relinquished a higher score overall. Then
Special Mention should be Hide and Seek, In Pursuit of Friendship, and I needtime to come up with one more.

Lo:

Before coming to this meeting, I felt that there should be two Silver awards. I choose
Disregulation and Relinquished, but I have no objection to giving the Gold Award
to Disregulation. For Special Mention, I chose In Pursuit of Friendship, Goodbye
In A Time Of Despair, and I haven’t decided on the third.

Fan:

Why can't you choose the Gold Award?

Lo:

I think Disregulation starts out well, but the middle and the ending are a little weak.
Of course, this is also related to the length of the film. I feel that the work gets weakeras it develops, which is a pity. I understand that the beginning is very strong, so it isdifficult to sustain it. Compare that with Bully's Wording, which I saw the first time
I served as a jury member, it was very innovative, no matter in terms of its form or
the tension it brought out. It made me think it was the Gold Award right away. When
10

watching Disregulation, I feel like it is having some distance from the former.
Among the finalists, Disregulation is still the best, but there is a slight gap with theGold Award works I reviewed in the past, so I wish to state this on record.
Fan:

Do you all agree that the Gold Award goes to Disregulation?

(Everyone nods)
Fan:

Then Disregulation gets the Gold Award in this year's Youth category. For the Silver
award, Relinquished currently has the most votes. I would like to ask Kenny (Leung)what he thinks, and does Yoyo (Sham) think Hide and Seek is also a Silver award
choice?

Sham:

I am okay with Relinquished or Hide and Seek getting Silver.

Leung:I am okay with Relinquished getting the Silver award too.

Fan:

If everyone agrees, Relinquished will be the Silver award winner this year. Next, wehave to select three Special Mention works. There are currently more than threenominations by jury members, but the distribution of votes is similar.

Sham:

Siuyea (Lo) and I haven't chosen the third Special Mention. Do we have to cast ourvotes before discussing this?

Fan:

Not necessarily, voting is just a sign to let everyone know what you selected. There
are two guidelines here, one is that Special Mention can be a bronze award as Sau
Ping (Wong) said, and the other is that these works may not be outstanding in allareas, but some aspects are worth emphasizing or encouraging.

Wong:

I personally want The Living Sea to get Special Mention because it is very special.
Special Mention is supposed to encourage, rather than an objective assessment of
the work. As a documentary, although the filming is middling, it explores aprofessional and lesser-known subject matter, which is worthy of encouragement.

Sham:

If I had to choose the third Special Mention from the current five choices, I would
choose The Living Sea rather than The Endless Fate, but it's really hard to decide.

Lo:

I really want In Pursuit of Friendship to get Special Mention. It has a lot of technicalshortcomings, but the way it deals with emotions is rare in the youth category. Thisis a very subjective view, and some people may also think that the work is empty,
but I think that it contains rich emotions, and flaws in the film makes it more
distinguished. In addition, the subject of homosexuality is relatively rare comparedto lesbians, because stories between men are more difficult to write. At the sametime, both male protagonists look straight, which gives it an unconventional effect.
The way the director shapes the material makes this work important and worthy of
note.

11

Sham:

I totally agree. In fact, I have been worrying about my third vote, please remove myprevious vote for The Living Sea.

Lo:

Although I like Goodbye In A Time Of Despair very much, I would prefer In
Pursuit of Friendship gets Special Mention. Goodbye In A Time Of Despair ishandled better, but In Pursuit of Friendship fits the criteria of Special Mention
better.

Leung:For the definition of Special Mention, one idea is that it is “a bronze award” second
only to the Gold and Silver Awards, and the other one is an encouragement. I feelthat everyone is leaning towards the latter. I have chosen all the three films withhigher votes for Special Mention, but their themes are all political and social, thehomogeneity of the combination is rather high and seems to be too monotonous. If
In Pursuit of Friendship and The Living Sea are included, this problem can be
reduced.

Sham:

That's a good idea. Although the three works are all about important personal
experiences, awarding them Special Mention feels like not encouraging diversity.

Wong:

I propose to put these works into different combinations and then vote.

Fan:

Maybe you can share your views on the works?

Leung:

I choose The Endless Fate because it reflects some of the situations faced by peopleof this age, and even the state of the entire city. The story is complete, the acting isabove average, and the message accords with the feelings of people in the current
situation.

Lui:

I have something to add. While the Gold and Silver award winning works areoutstanding and filled with personal style, The Endless Fate is a complete work, andsuch a work made by a director of this age can set a standard for the competition.
Many student films aim high but may not be technically competent. I think there
needs to be an indicator to let everyone know that Youth category works should atleast reach this level.

Wong:

I also support The Endless Fate. It was the first work I saw. Compared with theprevious two years, its quality surprised me, and I even thought there was a chance
it could get the Gold award. The work uses a more conventional film language,
which is easy to make mistakes, requires more resources and skills to execute. Evenso, the director's handling is meticulous and his motivation is good, such as with thetaxi scene I mentioned. The radio program mentions that it is the 34th Victoria Park
gathering, which shows that the scene is futuristic.
The motivation and point of view on the film touched me, and if there was a bronze
medal in the competition, I would like to give this work, it is more outstanding thanother Special Mention works.

12

Sham:It seems that the three Special Mentions selected by Sau-ping (Wong) have an order,
so my order will be Hide and Seek, followed by In Pursuit of Friendship. Hide andSeek touched me, it is playful sometimes, but it is very moving. Even though thepoint about generation gap is not obvious, the arrangement of putting the janitor,
also a mother, who faces many students every day, meanwhile misses her son somuch, gives lots of room for imagination. I sympathize with this character, so I think
the premise of the story is valid. I also appreciate that it's only eight minutes longand it's not too lengthy. I agree with Kenny (Leung) that if there is more detail or if
the film was 10 minutes long, the story will be more complete.
As for In Pursuit of Friendship, I think the acting is very convincing. I really
identify with the awkward and low-key emotion in the film, and even felt that thenarrative could be reduced a bit more.

Lo:

The spark between the actors in In Pursuit of Friendship is part of the plot, and thedevelopment of the story is smooth and natural. The most unfortunate part is that thecraftsmanship of the work does not support the narrative and properly portray the
raw and touching interactions of the actors. Generally, the works in the Youthcategory have a kind of deliberateness, such as being obvious and preachy. As anarrative film, In Pursuit of Friendship is handled properly and portrays theemotional interactions between the characters well. If it was developed a little more,it may destroy the emotional touch of the film.
In addition, I think Goodbye In A Time Of Despair adopts the visual diary method,which is worthy of encouragement in the Youth category. It's handled well, the scene
under the column is probably the worst scene in the whole film, both in terms ofduration and actors' placement, but I really liked the two pan shots and other shots,
and the use of sound is appropriate.
Hide and Seek is the one work that doesn't touch me. It has a lot of conventional
drama handling techniques, and it is very conservative in arranging changes inrhythm and atmosphere. In contrast with other works, I watched Hide and Seek
many times, but every time I watched it, I felt a sense of loss, and I can't feel theimpact of the work.
Many of the arrangements of The Endless Fate are meticulous, but the mention of
the old Hong Kong is something that I can't understand. Some young people like andyearn for the old era. For example, I read a report saying that young people in Hong
Kong and Japan would dress in the style of the 1980s. For me, this is reasonable.
Rationally, I understand that the protagonists of The Endless Fate still listen to CDs,
but the character design fails to convince me. I feel that it is just something writtenby the screenwriter. If the Danny Chan elements are removed, the work may be much
more complete.
The author of The Living Sea is a relatively minority group in Hong Kong, and she
focuses on a subject that mainstream Hong Kong people do not pay attention to.
Therefore, it is reasonable for this work to get Special Mention. It's just thatcompared with other works, I'm still not sure who my last vote should go to.
13

Sham:

I also appreciate the teenage director of The Endless Fate shooting a 20-minutework, but I enjoyed In Pursuit of Friendship more and found it more convincing. I
also thought that the director of The Endless Fate created characters whose
emotions are at odds with people his age. Even after hearing what the other jury
members said, I still didn't feel comfortable with the work and was not moved. Its
average score is high, however I wouldn't pick it as a Special Mention. If I had tochoose the third work, between The Endless Fate, The Living Sea and Goodbye In
A Time Of Despair, I would choose Goodbye In A Time Of Despair. As an audience
member, I feel The Living Sea is too factual, maybe I prefer to see works rely moreon cinematic language.

Lo:

If I had to choose from The Endless Fate, The Living Sea and Goodbye In A TimeOf Despair, I would give my third Special Mention vote to The Endless Fate.

Wong:

For me, I’d also choose Goodbye In A Time Of Despair, but in my mind, its ranking
among the three Special Mentions is relatively low, so I propose a fairer approachand ask everyone’s opinion about it. I want to put different slates of Special Mention
works and ask you to vote on them rather than count the votes of each work.

Sham:

I wonder if I should give points to the works in the three Special Mentions. In
addition, whether we consider if the Special Mention works should convey different
themes, or if it’s okay for them to have the same theme. We need to set a direction,
I don't know what is the criteria for judging.

Fan:

Regarding the spirit and criteria of judging the works, it is slightly different every
year, and we do it by consensus among the five jury members. Sometimes we feelthat because of the times, the importance of certain works may increase their worth
being awarded in this era; there are also jury members who place the mostimportance on narrative content regardless of the times, so the jury members needto reach a consensus. The organizer is flexible and we respect the opinions of thejury members while providing guidance at the same time. Just now Yoyo (Sham)
proposed that we rank the works. Why don’t we assign points to your three Special
Mention choices, with 3 points for the best one, 2 points for the second and 1 point
for the third.

Lo:

I give In Pursuit of Friendship 3 points, Goodbye In A Time Of Despair 2 points,
The Endless Fate 1 point.

Lui:

The Endless Fate 2 points, Hide and Seek 3 points, The Living Sea 1 point.

Wong:

The Endless Fate 3 points, The Living Sea 2 points, Goodbye In A Time Of Despair
1 point.

Leung:The Endless Fate 3 points, Goodbye In A Time Of Despair 2 points, Hide and Seek
1 point.

14

Sham:

Hide and Seek 3 points, In Pursuit of Friendship 2 points, Goodbye In A Time Of
Despair 1 point.

Wong:

With this scoring method, it is possible that we end up with three works with similar
themes. I want to vote on different slates of works. The reason behind my proposal
is to see if different combinations of works can have more encouraging results.

Fan:

The Endless Fate has four nominations for Special Mention, and now it has thehighest score with 9 points. Do you agree that it deserves Special Mention?

Lui:

Yes.

Leung:

I agree with Sau-ping (Wong), and see if everyone thinks the combination of works
is important, and want to include the visions beyond the three highest score works.
But because of the high score of The Endless Fate, I think it should win Special
Mention.

Lo:

I think at this stage, The Endless Fate should be confirmed as Special Mention. I
think we need to think about whether all three Special Mention works should have
similar themes, or whether a diverse combination is more representative of
everyone's choice. I myself prefer diversity, otherwise we would exclude many otherpossibilities.

Lui:

I also hope there are other possibilities.

Fan:

I want to confirm whether The Endless Fate is confirmed as one of the Special
Mention awards?

Wong:

Will Yoyo (Sham) objects? She is the only one who didn't choose The Endless Fate.

Sham:

I don’t object. I vote for my favorite works, but I will not oppose the works withhigh scores.

Leung:

If we choose according to slates of works, there should be six slates at present.

Wong:

Then let's cast one vote from each of the six options and see if any slate has more
votes.

Fan:

Then, everyone can choose two works from the remaining four: Hide and Seek, The
Living Sea, Goodbye In A Time Of Despair and In Pursuit of Friendship, and you
can vote on different slates.

Fan:

In the end, Lo chose In Pursuit of Friendship and Goodbye In A Time Of Despair;
Wong chose The Living Sea and Goodbye In A Time Of Despair;Sham chose Hide and Seek and In Pursuit of Friendship;
Lui chose Hide and Seek and The Living Sea;
Leung chose In Pursuit of Friendship and Goodbye In A Time Of Despair;
15

Therefore, the combination of In Pursuit of Friendship and Goodbye In A Time Of
Despair got the highest number of votes.
Leung:

Let me explain my reason for switching from Hide and Seek to In Pursuit ofFriendship. As I mentioned earlier, I hope that the results of the competition willreflect diversity, so I had to choose between In Pursuit of Friendship and The
Living Sea. In Pursuit of Friendship is relatively unrefined and awkward in somerespects, but for its subject matter, this style is worthy of encouragement. As for The
Living Sea, I have higher expectations for documentaries.

16

27th ifva Youth Category Award Winners
Gold Award
Disregulation
Yuen Wai-ho

Silver Award
Relinquished
Li Hei-lam, Chan Yik-tung

Special Mention
The Endless Fate
Wong Wai-wa

In Pursuit of FriendshipSky SanGoodbye In A Time Of Despair
Chan Po-yan

17