Taste the spirit of local film-making

Mega-budget Hollywood blockbusters are not the only options for movie-goers this summer. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) is offering a free taste of the adventurous spirit of local film-makers later this month.

The HKAPA's School of Film and Television on June 25 will hold two free public screenings of five short films - each about 20 to 40 minutes long with English subtitles - made by this year's graduates. Tickets will be handed out at the Academy's box office 30 minutes before the screenings, scheduled for 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

'The students are aware that this is the end of a life stage, and they want to look back at the past,' said veteran film critic Shu Kei, who is a senior lecturer of film and television directing at the school.

The themes - although often nostalgic or borrowed from mainstream cinema - are expressed in different ways. The students tackled a wide variety of genres ranging from surreal action and comedy to family drama.

'I threw in elements that have influenced me during my teenage days, such as Gu-long (a famous martial arts novelist), assassin movies and female action films,' said Terry Cheung Yuk-kin, 24, who directed Battle with Honour and Humanity. The fun action film transplants Gu-long's characters into a contemporary Hong Kong setting.

Contrasting Cheung's cult style is Thomas Lee Chi-wai's Our Steps (pictured) a film set in the 1970s. It is about a son who misunderstands his hardworking father.

'The '70s was an uplifting era. I think the foundation of Hong Kong was built on the hard work of the people during that period,' said Lee, 24. 'I also want to show that what you can see may not be the whole picture of truth.'