Two independent directors who spent a summer shooting movies on Cheung Chau have provided inspiration for up-and-coming filmmakers with their realistic approach towards teenage life. The productions - A Side, B Side, Seaside by Chan Wing-chiu (aka Ah Chiu) and b420 by Mathew Tang Hon-keung - were well-received at local and overseas film festivals. The former grabbed a place in the New Talent Award section of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival earlier this year, while the latter won the Grand Prix at Japan's 19th Fukuoka Asian Film Festival. Both movies revolve around romantic themes as well as how teenagers cope with adulthood. But the directors handled these common themes in a different manner. A Side, B Side, Seaside tells the story of a schoolgirl at a graduation camp on Cheung Chau and the bitter-sweet experiences of a young girl, Ah Mei, and her childhood friends on the island. Starring secondary students and non-professional actors, the film has the taste of a documentary. 'Adolescence should be very simple. But this simple stage of life is often neglected and many teenagers go through it without enjoying it. I want to capture youth on film because it's something you will treasure a lot when you grow old,' said Chan. Chan said he recruited secondary and university students to help with the shooting on Cheung Chau. Although the pay was low and the work very demanding, the director said the students displayed a passion that some professionals lack. 'I think teenagers should pick up a camera and make their own movies. Their world is very different from that of adults,' Chan said. 'Their productions may be simple, but will be honest reflections of their lives.' In b420, pop idol Miki Yeung - member of girl group Cookies - plays lead character Koey, a 19-year-old girl who takes each day as it comes. The other two main characters - played by Sam Lee and Ben Hung - represent two different kinds of teenagers. One indulges in the past and the other works hard for a bright future. The title of the movie has two meanings - before the age of 20 and before too old. Instead of conveying the how-to-live-your-life message commonly found in youth movies, Tang allows the characters to speak for themselves. 'I hope to stimulate young people to think about what they want to achieve before they get too old,' said Tang, whose film crew included students from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and City University of Hong Kong. 'It takes a long time to grow young, Picasso once said. Each individual can have their own definition [of what is being young], there's no common standard. It depends on what really suits you and you have to discover who you really are. 'When I was doing research for the movie, many young people whom I talked to could not tell me what they want in life. In fact, understanding oneself is a lifelong process.' A Side, B Side, Seaside is now showing, while b420 will be released on November 17