Lee Wai Shing’s short film focuses on family in response to Huang Canran’s poem ‘So Close’, narrating a son’s journey to visit his mother in North Point
Poetry on Film is a moving image commissioning project for young and emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, motivated by the belief that poetry possesses an inherent cinematic quality. Its rhythmic cadence, vivid imagery, and emotional depth offer a rich tapestry for filmmakers to weave their visual narratives. Animator STEP C., narrative filmmaker Chu Hoi Ying, analogue film artist Jolene Mok, and documentarian Lee Wai Shing were asked to choose a contemporary Chinese-language poem written by a local writer, then visualise it using their personal cinematic language. The resulting shorts showcase the diversity of Hong Kong moving image practice, with unique approaches to medium, storytelling, cinematography, and sound.
The Implementation of the new security law in 2020 marked a major historical shift for the people of Hong Kong. This 2-year process brought on the reality which was not expected to have materialized until 2046. This harsh, unexpected acceleration fueled feelings of anxiety and distress. The fear of prosecution mixed with the impulse for self-censorship, the desire to leave wrestled with a sense of loss. Room 404 is an essayistic response to the documentary Room 525 shot by the same artists during the art residency in Hong Kong back in 2019 while the social unrest was growing.
