“HK Animation Shorts” gathers Infidelity, Father Figure, Monsoon Blue, Depths of Night, Dragon’s Delusion: Preface, My dear son and Kill Danny II: A Puppy Love Story, ranging from human relationships to technological fantasy, showcasing the diversity and creative perseverance of Hong Kong animation. Post-screening talk was held at Broadway Cinematheque foyer on 24th October. HKAFF was honoured to have the directors and producers to join us for a post-screening talk and shared more on the landscape of Hong Kong animation.
Animation maps out the philosophy of life between the strokes, connecting the narrative inside and outside of the screen. Depths of Night stems from self-disorientation in a turbulent world. Director Step C. shared her sketches from 2019 at the talk, exploring self-erosion and the longing and repair of values. The characters mend fractures at their hearts at different life stages, questioning the value of females in society. Must one enter marriage at an appropriate age, or bravely be who they are? The introspective narrative allows audience to reflect upon growth in between frames.
Director of Dragon's Delusion: Preface KongKee shared that the inspiration came from a comic, adapting it into an animation brought him refreshing contentment. Marrying Qu Yuan's allusion "Encountering Sorrow" and technological elements, he provokes audience to imagine the future, and contemplates the philosophy of seeking new life, rendering resonance. He brings up the notion of diasporas seeking a second life in this murky time, questioning whether this is a "second chance", provoking conversations that transcend media and time.
From small scale project to large scale international collaboration, production of Hong Kong animation comes in different shapes and colours.
Director Isaac Shek of Father Figure noted that the inspiration came from the distance between father and son. Drawing inspiration from the miniatures of life, he constructs a unique visual space with symbols like room and door. The pencil strokes encapsulate the distance and complicated bond between the father and son, emphasising his personal covet for hand-drawn organic and natural style. He believes the smaller the team, the greater the freedom of expression, and would continue to pursuit this hand-on approach in his future project. Producer and script-writer Sammi Wong also shared the challenges of making a short film. She noted the improvisational approach of the three-man band, saying that they "modified along the way". She stressed that the key lied in contextualising the vision of the director. This collaborative and creative approach prioritises communication to achieve coherence. She added that retaining such organic elements in commercial feature films requires significantly more time and depends on the illustrator's style.
Speaking of the scale of international collaboration akin to that of Another World, the producer of Monsoon Blue Donald Kwok noted that his preference for European realist visual styles led him to persist in working with animators based in Barcelona and London during the pandemic, breaking geographical boundary. He emphasised that the role of animators is not just about adjusting the body movement of the characters, but also reflecting the relationship between the characters and their surroundings, each shot reflects the personal state of the animator. When asked about how to maintain the coherence of style amidst remote collaboration, he noted that it relied on the character profiles that they based on. Each frames allowed freedom of interpretation, with an open rhythm that eschewed a fixated narrative, rendering a diverse yet cohesive visual style. He also cited the recent animation 100 Meters as an example, noting that an animation can embrace different visual styles and a myriad of techniques, emphasizing the importance of cohesiveness and its potential.
Apart from the visual production process, audience were also curious about voice dubbing and the message conveyed. Addressing the audience query about the cost effectiveness of casting celebrities as voice actors, Kongkee explained that he had worked with Tereance Lau and Kaki Sham before Dragon's Delusion, hence they made a guest appearance in the animation as a friend. He further discussed the challenges of animated voice acting, emphasising the need for distinctive interpretation while accommodating audience expectations. Deviating from traditional television cartoon voice styles is not something that can be achieved overnight. This stressed the importance of accumulating more local productions to establish unique style that belongs to Hong Kong. Regarding thematic regionality and international appeal, he believed that approaching narratives through universal values to grasp underlying messages is paramount, with language being secondary. He recounted an exhibition in Japan where he ultimately retained Chinese characters for the title to spark audience curiosity, prompting them to research and take the initiative to understand the meaning behind.
Audiences further probed whether generational gaps might affect appreciation of the work. Directors Law Lok Hei, David Wu and Jason Leung of Kill Danny II: A Puppy Love Story emphasised the film's major goal is to entertain, serving as both a chance to refine their skills and creative outlet. They noted that if audience couldn’t understand the jokes, that’s precisely stemmed from personal preferences. The definition of 'humour' remains subjective and ever-shifting, yet works will inevitably forge their own legacy. Thanks to young people, old jokes continue to circulate on social media. The directors believe animation serves precisely as a medium for future generations to learn from. Behind each generation is the new generation, creation is a form documentation. Animation thus becomes a vital medium for embodying local culture and fostering intergenerational dialogue.
At last, an audience member asked about current situation and future prospects of Hong Kong animation, Step C. responded that Hong Kong animators are actually everywhere. From everyday advertisements and concerts to overseas animation studios, Hong Kong animators are inconspicuously participating everywhere, breaking geographical boundaries. With solid technical skills, opportunities will arise. Animation production is by no means a simple task, but it is essential to keep trying, regardless of scale or stylistic changes. The process may be arduous, yet challenging oneself through creation not only brings fulfilment but also facilitates personal breakthroughs.
We hope that the public will support local animation culture, collectively fostering the development of the animation industry.
