"A Mirror Image: HK x Taiwan Documentaries (台港鏡像)," a special program launched by the Hong Kong Film Festival UK (HKFFUK) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, will feature six documentary films from Hong Kong and Taiwan between March 18 and 31.
Films from Taiwan include "Taste of Wild Tomato (野番茄)" by director Lau Kek-huat (廖克發), "A Holy Family (神人之加)" by director Lu Elvis A-liang (盧盈良), and "Nail (指月記)" by director Huang Ting-fu (黃庭輔). Other selected films from Hong Kong include "Blue Island (憂鬱之島)" by director Chan Tze-woon (陳梓桓), "Flower Stories (河上變村)" by director Tsang Tsui-shan (曾翠珊), and "Rice Distribution (平安米)" by director Tammy Cheung (張虹).
The films are categorized into three groups under the themes of "Kindred Histories (人間)," "Whispers (私語)," and "Vicissitudes (如昔)." Each group consists of one Taiwanese film and one Hong Kong film. The curator of the festival Ching Wong (黃靜) stated that Taiwan and Hong Kong have been always seen as comparable in terms of culture.
The screenings will be held in three cities, including London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, accompanied by an online dialogue between directors Tammy Cheung and Huang Ting-fu on March 26, as well as a forum on documentary films on March 29. The dialogue and the forum will explore how documentary films respond to the social and environmental changes in Taiwan and Hong Kong, helping local audiences in the UK to understand the development and trajectory of the two societies.
With the theme of "Home Away From Home (香港與香港的距離)," the second edition of HKFFUK will showcase a total of 27 films in seven cities in the UK, with the opening film being "If We Burn (血在燒)," a 265-minute documentary that focuses on Hong Kong's 2019 anti-extradition bill movement ("Anti-ELAB Movement"), while the closing film will be "The Grass is Greener on the Other Side (野草不盡)," which depicts the wave of immigration from Hong Kong since 2019. For more information, please visit HKFFUK's official
website.