Tin Shui Wai students win film award
Three teenagers from a Tin Shui Wai school have won an award at an international film festival in Australia with a 3D animation.
The Form Four students from Shun Tak Fraternal Association Yung Yau College - Chan Siu-lung, Yuen Ka-chun and Kong Yi-hin - won a special jury prize at the 7th Short Soup International Short Film Festival late last month. They won the Entree category, for first-time filmmakers under age 25 from around the world. Their work, My Dear Father, tells a story of father and son. The boys said they were inspired by the affection they felt for their own fathers, and wanted to send the message that the love of parents is precious.
'My father comes home late at night because of work, and we have little time together. He is quite strict with me and we often have arguments. But when I think deeper, I understand fathers are the way they are because they care about children,' Siu-lung said.
The annual contest, which began in 2000, is open to budding filmmakers as well as established video producers. This year saw more than 250 works from 32 countries. They included documentaries, animation and other genres.
The Main Course category invites established filmmakers with a focus on mainstream audiences; while the Dessert category is open to experimental works and themes suitable for mature audiences, above 15 years old. The event is organised by Sydney Olympic Park and Cinewest to promote culturally diverse communities.
The Hong Kong trio attended a showing of all contestants' work at Sydney Olympic Park. They said it was an eye-opening trip in which they learned skills from other filmmakers.
'Our narrative is usually direct and simple, but after seeing other people's works we learned there are many more techniques we can use,' Siu-lung said.
