Events

2018 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market

Succeeding positive feedbacks from previous participation, NAE returned to the biggest short film festival in Europe – the 2018 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Market (“Short Film Market”). NAE relentlessly participate in international film markets, in a bid to foster connections with overseas distributors, broadcasters, festival organisers and sales agents, and further on to present original works from Hong Kong in international markets.

The Short Film Market took place between 5 and 8 February 2018 in the Culture Centre of Clermont-Ferrand, France. Aside from setting up a promotional booth at the market, NAE organised two market screenings on 6 February to showcase 11 awarded short films and animations to overseas audiences, each rich in local cultural context but deals with universal and socially understandable themes. NAE took the participation of the Festival to proactively introduce and promote outstanding local shorts and animations, at the same time coordinate commercial meet up with overseas film practitioners and press in search of overseas collaboration and development opportunities.

NEW ACTION EXPRESS Short Film Highlights – Market Screening (programme 1)

	Oh! Million Fist! Hugh cho Hong Kong / 2017 / Col / 7’ 48” / No dialogue and subtitles Dance and martial arts share the same origin. Having practised martial arts for years, a long-term practitioner of martial arts, dancer Hugh Cho, develops a choreography based on fight scenarios. Playing with camera angles and speed of movement, Cho merges dance with action movie and its shooting technique to create a new kind of screendance.
	A Long Ride Ng Chun Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 25’ 06” / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles 2015, summer. A laundry shop in To Kwa Wan is closing down due to urban redevelopment. Kau, the shop’s worker, wishes to return a suit jacket owned by a loyal costumer in person. Holding an old and stopped pocket watch, he strolls along buildings and railways under construction and searches through every part of the district.
	Resettlement Memory Lee Kwok-wai Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 6’ 37” / In No Dialogue with English subtitles A fire in the 1950s destroyed the entire cottage area. In the seven-storey government resettlement block for the victims, it is not uncommon for a family of five to live together in a mere 200 square feet flat. Accustomed to quantifying income, population, and land supply, how should we quantify the process whereby a flat transforms into a home?
	I am Not Pretty Keung Yin-ni, Sin Man-ting Hong Kong / 2017 / Col / 6’ 00” / No Dialogue and subtitles Della always puts on heavy make-up, for it makes her feel more confident, look adorable for her loved one and get preferential treatment. Many embarrassing moments happen because of that. With Society’s tendency to judge a book its cover, Della believes that appearance means everything and intend to deceive the world with heavy make-up.
	Lost Cemeteries Ho Ying-kuen Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 25’ 58” / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles Tung and Yan, brothers from a single-parent family, solely rely on their mother who operates a store selling incenses in a wet market for living. After a year since their mother has passed away, the government now implements a plan to demolish the public estates for redevelopment.
	Departure Kong Khong-chang (Kongkee), Tsui Ka-hei Haze, Lee Kwok-wai Hong Kong / 2017 / Col / 8’ 00” / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles This is a sci-fi set in the 60s Hong Kong with a fictional history and a rewritten future. Illustrated with mesmerizing colours, a robot is in search of the secrets of souls.

NEW ACTION EXPRESS Short Film Highlights – Market Screening (programme 2)

	St. Zombian’s Jessie Kwok Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 7’ 30” / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles At St. Zombian’s, there are only three zombie students and one beautiful half-zombie half-human hybrid who takes on multiple roles as headmaster, teacher and tutor. The three students learn to imitate humans, and one of them even dreams to become a singer…
	Where Have the Flowers Gone? Chan Sin-hong Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 6’ 30” / No dialogue and subtitles This is a story about a piggy from the rural areas pursuing dreams in the big city. He works hard every day but it seems all the efforts he pays are in vain. Eventually, he becomes lost. Where Have the Flowers Gone? is a work paying tribute to classic films such as Metropolis and Modern Times.
	Who Stole My Dream Liu Xiao-hu Hong Kong / 2016 / Col / 9’ 17” / In Cantonese and Putonghua with Chinese and English Subtitles Kit, a student from Mainland, was rushed up on by Long who bosses around in school. Kit hopes to pursuit his dream as an artist, but Long took revenge on him. Finally Kit decides to let go and keep chasing his dream. Retiring from public life, the depression of a famous star, LilyMoon remained a secret until the discovery of a long-gone autobiography manuscript. What’s left without the spotlight on stage?
	Call Me Mrs Chan Chan Hau-chun, Chui Chi-yin 2017 / Hong Kong / Col / 15’ 53” / In Hokkien with Chinese and English subtitles Cleaner Mrs Chan works in a public housing estate to clear the garbage, 365 days a year except on the first day of the Chinese New Year. For the past ten years, her quiet dedication cleaning the building has brought her no respect, only back pain. She said people despised her job, but she carried on with it.
	Horizon Kong Ka-yiu Rony Hong Kong / 2017 / Col / 29’ 31” / In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles Lee Chi-ho believes in the Flat Earth theory following an encounter with an old man. He debates with his son’s teacher about the Earth, and wants to prove that what his son and he believe in is true. Thus he decides to borrow the old man’s spaceship to fly up to the universe, and validate the Flat Earth theory.