We were delighted to have the creators of 'Hong Kong Shorts' to share with us their creative journeys!

Director Eric Lee and animator Anna Li of Wind Goes On drew inspiration from their own upbringing in public housing estates to depict the landscapes of public housing estate in the 90s while exploring themes of parting. Lee shared that before crafting the narrative, they learnt from a documentary that only Hong Kong's eagles would circle over densely populated urban areas. This unique observation inspired them to incorporate eagles into the story. An ordinary view to all in Hong Kong, in fact, is unparalleled worldwide.

Director Cai Qinyu of take a break shared that her short film was inspired by a Japanese film she watched last year, Desert of Namibia. Directed by the young female director Yoko Yamanaka, the film inspired Cai to explore gender dynamics within love relationship from a female perspective.

Curiosity about her birth year 1997 was the catalyst for Director Ariel Lau's short film In the Name of Memory. Why did her mother choose that particular year to give birth to her? The two characters in the film recount their memories in different ways. Liu first based her creation on a four-hour recorded conversation between a friend and her mother, later adding visuals that complemented the dialogue to give it a more lived-in feel.

The story of Keep Looking? originated from a genuine amusing incident between director Anna Ieong and her friends. Casting friends as actors allowed for high degree of freedom. Ieong was also very satisfied with the seven-minute long take capturing entirely improvised exchanges between the actors!

Sound designer Amy Chan of She is Calliope attended the sharing on behalf of the director. She thanked the audience for their support and acknowledged the Berlin production team and Hong Kong post-production crew. She shared that the film aimed to prompt reflection on the power dynamics between goddesses, muses, and humanity, questioning whether 'goddess' was being objectified.

Growing up in Tin Wah Esate, director Sugar Chan of Last Summer hoped to preserve her connection to the place through this film. She recounted delays in filming due to struggles finding suitable child actors. Eventually, she resorted to approaching children at a local convenience store near her home to secure the cast and commence shooting!