Week 8 Kay talks on 1:99 Short Films

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By Andrew Lau, Alan Mak

Actors: Edison Chan, Shawn Yu, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung etc.

Content:

Hong Kong- A small fishing village in the past and become a International city

Overcome lots of problems
(Falls into enemy’s hands for 3 years and 8 months, Typhoon, Cholera, Financial crisis in 1997 etc.)

Cheep Hong Kong people up to overcome the SARS crisis.

<<1:>>

An event supported by the Hong Kong Government.

More than 10 film directors in Hong Kong directed films to encourage people and to enhance civil education.

10. March 30 Mapping the City Vincent Yu Wai-kin "Our Home.. (3) by Cliff Kwok

flow:

1. the brief background of the project

2. different feelings conveyed by different mode of exhibition

site-specific vs museum

3. size of image

8. "My Flying Family" from 1:99 short films (2003), by Wong Tsz Ki Jackie 1178660

"My Flying Family"

By Mabel Cheung & Alex Law

presented on 26th March, 2009


1:99 Short Films Initiative

Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers launched this non-profitable peogramme unnder the

support of the government in 2003. The action aimed at cheering up Hong Kong people who

were facing the SARS crisis. These films were shown in Singapore, Malaysia, the U. S.,
Taiwan, etc.

Representation of SARS/Themes

1. SARS as storm

~ the boy picks up a flower from a pool of water on the ground

~ gives us a sense that there was rain or even a destructive storm before

~ the flower(looks like Bauhinia) might symbolizes HK attacked by a storm(SARS)

2. Encouragement to HK people

~ depicts ‘success’ as ‘flying

~ medical professionals arrive from a helicopter as flying-men

~ telling people not to be afraid of falling to the bottom because: “All flights start from the

ground!”

3. Appreciation of medical workers

~ thank all those who work in the hospital

~ no matter they are famous senior doctors(those high up the sky) or simply cleaning workers in the hospitals(those down on the ground)

~ a challenge to the conventional hierachical perception

4. Expectation on the new generation

~ the boy use 'flying' to describe his family; proud of the old generation who all lived a difficult life

~ children and young people could learn from the children of the old generation to become tough and strong

Question

SARS is always being said to be a monster-like virus but are there any postive aspects that it

might brought to us?

Week 8 Kay talks on Film X 1:99 short films

Hello!Hong Kong Part 3 by Rachel

presentation of visual cultures of Hong Kong on 24 febuaray.

Title:Hello!Hong Kong Part 3
Artist:Kith Tsang
Year:1996
media:bamboo,galvanized iron sheet,papier mache boat ,glass of bottle,nanyin etc

the concept of his :1.his chilhood living mermoies to show us a old or local Hong Kong.2.inspiration of the Hong Kong harbour

Golden Chicken 2 by yeeman

•A local film made by Samson Chiu(趙良駿) in 2003
•Stars Sandra Ng, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Andy Lau, etc.
•A direct response to SARS

Intro. Of Golden Chicken 2

•The film begins in 2046 with the 82-yr-old Kum looks at the narrowed Victoria ‘River’
•1) Worst year of her life = 2003 (SARS)
•2) Relationship with the money-hungry cousin
•Topics discussed: life, love, HK culture & spirit

1: Serious representation of SARS

•Insertion of actual news clips reporting the SARS incident
•Clips are in B & W
•Bring us back to the nightmare of SARS
•Makes us mentally sick
•Stirs up out negative emotions & feelings

•The portrayal of doctor (played by Leon Lai)
•His eyes, actions & conversation with Kum reveal his hardship
•Alienation with family
•Discrimination against him
•Only Kum cares about him
•Ironic (supposed to be hero, but being treated like a beggar)

2: Funny representation of SARS

•Shaving at the canteen
•Kum shaves all her body hair (= extreme)
•Make fun of ‘1:99’
•Kum says she’ll use 1:99 bleached water to wash the pig lung

•Kum’s attempts to make a living while dealing with germ conscious HK-ers
•E.g.Chan (played by Ronald Cheng)
•Using thermometers to check temperature
•Kum helps Chan to clean his body thoroughly
•Kum wrapped Chan in cling film

•Wong Jing-esque* toilet humor(王晶式搞笑)
•We’re supposed to be sympathetic with Chan after knowing he’s mentally ill, but it doesn’t work since we still see him as a weird buffoon
•Exaggerated & funny representation makes us forget SARS is a painful memory

CONCLUSION:
•Serious & heavy side: causes our resonance(共鳴) & sympathy
•Funny & relaxing side: make joke out of a disaster( typical of HK culture)
-Sandra Ng: “We’ve put the bloody SARS crisis into GC2, but we’ll present them in a ridiculous & comedic way” (《金雞2》亦加入了今年最血淋淋的「沙士」，但我們會用很荒謬、很喜劇的手法去表達。”)
•Balance between laughing & thinking

Kith Tsang, "Hello! Hong Kong-Part 3,1996 and Hello!Hong Kong Part 7,1997 and The Storage of Amnesia, 2000 by LAM KA LEE(Carrie)