Organised by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the 19th ifva Festival will take place between 13 and 23 March 2014. This year ifva has adopted “storytelling” as an overarching theme throughout the year. Film veteran and critic Lam Kee-to who curates the “storytelling” series and director Adam Wong who manifests the art of storytelling through workshops and screenings have attended the press conference today. Other juries including director Heiward Mark, animator Yu Ka-ho, the co-founder and CEO of the innovation company Cherrypicks, Jason Chiu also presented certificates to ifva finalists today.

Stories to Entice You at ifva

Following the success of “ifva+ Storytelling Series” earlier on, renowned scriptwriter and critic Lam Kee-to again curates the “storytelling” programmes from the many award-winning titles of the previous editions of the ifva Awards. The Opening Film, You Are the Independent Power of My Eye, consists of eight shorts by former ifva winners, most of whom have made their names nowadays. It includes ifva’s very first gold award winning piece Long Distance by Vincent Chui and Alex Lai. Raman Hui, “Father of Shrek,” and Toe Yuen who is behind all McMug movies were indeed winners at the 2nd ifva Awards. Other featured titles include shorts by Pang Ho-cheng and Cheuk Wan-chi, nowadays pop icons, and works by Heiward Mak, Mak Yuen-yan and Yau Ching, whose efforts are widely recognised in their own remits. Eight intriguing short films will offer audience the best from the ifva story. Lam also handpicks another nine titles for the “ifva Storytelling Series” to be screened in two programmes.

Also a former winner at ifva, Adam Wong has risen to fame recently with his latest film The Way We Dance. He himself handpicks a film that has influenced him most: Shunji Iwai’s Fireworks, to be screened alongside three of his own stories either winning at or commissioned by ifva. He himself will also spread the art of storytelling through a Storytelling Workshop.

Asian Stories by Promising Directors

Tan Chui-mui, one of the Malaysian “New Wave” directors and an award-winning director at the Busan International Film Festival, brings with her seven stories for the programme “The Malaysian Chinese Perspective: Independent Shorts by Tan Chui-mui”.

As to Taiwan, Arvin Chen, best known for his features Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Au Revoir Taipei, will be sharing his secrets in telling good stories at “Will You Still Love Film Tomorrow: Sharing by Arvin Chen”. Footages from his Berlinale-winning short Mei and Golden Horse-commissioned LANE 256 of 10+10 series will be shown at the sharing.

Stories Submitted for Competition at ifva

The ifva Awards has always been core to the ifva story, as it has groomed countless creative professionals in film and media art. The 19th ifva shall carry on with its mission, and today the torch is passed on to the new cohort of finalists, who are presented certificates by key players in the field like Heiward Mak, Yu Ka-ho, Jason Chiu and Executive Director of Hong Kong Arts Centre, Connie Lam. Works by these finalists, in the five different categories (Open, Youth, Animation, Interactive Media, Asian New Force) will be screened during the ifva Festival.

Having been encouraging creativity in film and visual media, ifva converges creativity and fosters exchanges all over Asia. The Asian New Force Category of this year’s ifva sees works from Taiwan, Mainland China, South Korea, Iran, Singapore, etc. Their respective directors will attend the Festival, with their flights and accommodation subsidised, and in particular the Awards Ceremony on 22 March.

An Extra Chapter of the ifva Story Media art is indispensable to the ifva story. Dr. Olli Tapio Leino, curator of CINEMA 2.0: New Playable Art, introduced the exhibition on game culture, which will be featuring game art works from US artists Tabor Robak and Douglas Wilson. The exhibition will share the same venue with works by finalists of ifva Awards’ Interactive Media Category. Tabor Robak will also show audience a special experience about computer game played on the big screen during Video Game Journey.

ifva continues organising “All About Us”, a creative filmmaking project for ethnic minorities youths, and six films under the project will be shown at the Festival. “NEW ACTION EXPRESS” subsidises local short film talents to attend festivals abroad, and eight stories that have once brought pride to Hong Kong from overseas are selected for the 19th ifva as well.

ifva has been dedicated to nurture creative talents, enabling them to continue telling and to become part of the ifva story.

-Hong Kong Arts Centre