Hong Kong Arts Centrehas teamed up with 7-Eleven to present ifva greenlab, the 16th Independent Short Film and Video Awards (ifva) to the community! Seven ifva award winners from past years, Wallis Chan, Vincent Chui, Kwok Zune, Heiward Mak, Stella So, Ka-hei Tsui, and Ching-Po Wong, were commissioned to recast the city’s stories in the setting of our most familiar convenience store. Utilising live action images and animation, these directors have managed to capture our everyday experiences and evoke our collective memories with their innovative shorts. In the Opening Gala of the ifva Festival, the short films were screened in the agnès b. CINEMA on the lower basement of the Hong Kong Arts Centre on March 16. The directors shared their passion about how they developed the concepts behind the commissioned works. These works will also appear in future screenings of the 16th ifva as additional showcases.
Since 1981, 7-Eleven has become a local landmark with nearly 1,000 branches that can be found at every corner of Hong Kong. However, how much do we know about the store besides its brand name? Through the eyes of the directors, the seven short films delicately capture the bits and pieces that glitter quietly through people\'s memory – the reflection of a one-way mirror, local snacks and a capsule toy machine – all that happens inside a convenience store that may be forgotten.
Ms Rose Yeung, the Head of Marketing of 7-Eleven, says, “These short films reflect people’s feelings towards the store. The store itself has become a cultural icon. Our main target is local youths who love things that can speak for them. The commissioned short films do an excellent job of reflecting and representing how the city feels about the stores, bringing different messages about people\'s daily lives and their connection with the store. I hope that through this crossover with ifva, more young people can be encouraged to bring more creativity into their own lives. This is also the mission and the social responsibility of 7-Eleven as a community corporate, a company that treasures local creativity and young energy.”
Ms Connie Lam, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, hopes that through the collaboration with 7-Eleven, the spirit of art and creativity can be brought further into the community. “The significance of the collaboration lies in the creation of a platform that inspires and encourages local creativity from the new generation. The project demonstrates the possibility of making use of familiar memories about the city as creative elements. What is familiar can be exceptionally inspiring, and even add uniqueness to the creation of an individual.”
Ms Teresa Kwong, the Director of ifva, thinks that, “Public spaces such as cha-chaan-tangs or convenience stores are places that can provoke interest in the everyday life of the city, given their close connection with people’s daily experience. Since the 12th ifva we have been providing the project greenlab as a platform for energetic minds to realise their creative imaginations. Besides 7-Eleven, ifva greenlab also collaborates many entities of a different nature to promote film creativity, such as Greenpeace, Jade Dynasty Group Ltd., Gold Typhoon Entertainment Limited and the Hong Kong Film Archive. We hope to encourage more young people to be daring in realising their ideas, motivating more creativity in short film productions throughout the community.”
ifva x 7-Eleven @ community Showcase Brief Work by MAK Hei-yan, Heiward Eleven to Seven Hong Kong / Col / 5’30”/ In Cantonese with no subtitles. She is a white collar working from 7am to 11pm. Every day before work and after work, she wanders into the convenience store for a little breather. He is a part-time worker in the convenience store from 11pm to 7am. Every night he is waiting, waiting for her to show up.
Work by KWOK Zune Single Serving Friends Hong Kong / Col / 4’30”/ In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Around dawn every day, the young shopkeeper meets her “friend”, the magazine delivery boy, the only one she can talk to all night long.
Work by TSUI Ka-Hei Taste the Life Hong Kong / Col / 3’/ In Cantonese with no subtitles. Get away from the bustle; let the music of leisure float, even it’s insignificantly short. A cup of Slurpee and a jazz song seem simple yet they carry life along. And joy is everywhere we want to find it.
Work by CHUI Wan-shun, Vincent 《鞋字半邊X》 Hong Kong / Col / 3’30”/ In Cantonese with no subtitles. How do you define a good shopkeeper? Not only do you have to be persuasive and get people to buy “special offer” items like candy, cuttlefish and figurines, you need a good command of English to promote ifva shorts!
Work by CHAN Tsz-wai, Wallis Two Girls in a Night Hong Kong / Col / 3’/ In Cantonese with no subtitles. A girl from summer and another girl from winter, on a night in a 7-Eleven.
Work by SO Man-yee, Stella 7-wishes Hong Kong / Col / 3’/ No dialogue and subtitles. In the days of feeling uneasy and dry, Old Maid needs some pampering. Feminine products, snacks, magazines, capsule toys and everything else you can find in a 7-Eleven. It truly is a haven for old maids.
Work by WONG Ching-po 《7-11 勝在有JENNY》 Hong Kong / Col / 4’30”/ In Cantonese with no subtitles. In a convenience store, the door of the storage room is a two-way mirror, reflecting a romantic story of love at first sight.
Hong Kong Arts Centre Ms. Annie HO Marketing & Development Director The Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards (ifva) Email: aho@hkac.org.hk Tel: 2824 5306 / 9481 8706
