The Whisper of Sunlight

A photo journalist's quest for precision can go so far that it is hard to tell whether the human has become a machine or the machine has acquired a desire of its own. Cheung and his beloved Leica managed to captured a moment between life and death; the gaze from the subject haunts Cheung so much that he loses the strength to take another photo. Based on the true story of the famous photo journalist Mr. Lam Kai Cheung, The Decisive Moment reconstructs his life aided by interviews of his colleagues. The intriguing relationship between the object and the subject is brought forth for philosophical reflection.

J and Jacky are good friends who attend the same school. J is from a single-parent family, and will be taken care by Jacky’s family whenever his mother has to return to Mainland to renew her visa; such kind of story is not an isolated case. These families have been uprooted for a “better future” in Hong Kong, but is this “future” that the children really long to have? A Chinese saying: “How does one understand the joy of fish, if one is not a fish?” Will the adults really understand what the children want?

A site of rapid redevelopment, the Hung Hom district of Hong Kong is home to the Kwun Yum temple, which attracts droves of devotees seeking financial betterment during the grandiose Treasury Opening Festival. Across the street, however, is a run-down yet lively block running a parallel economy consisting of recycling shops, illegal flea markets and modest restaurants, all on the verge of extinction.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that causes noncancerous tumors to grow in different parts of the body. However, the Hong Kong government has been slow to allow treatment for the disease, especially in relaxing regulations for drugs that treat the tumors. Director Wong Siu-pong turns his camera on Hong Kong’s medical system with this heartrending documentary about a young TSC patient who also lost her mother to the disease.

Snuggle explores different generations' views on aging and death through the experiences of three families struggling with elderly caretaking and imminent loss. Commissioned by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, the moving documentary was shot over two years, bearing witness to the difficult journeys and decisions of life and death confronted by ordinary people. The Lees face multiple tragedies in a short period of time as the patriarch, himself tormented with illness, deals with the grief of losing his daughter and wife. His son hopes that he will soon find peace in heaven. The Chans live in an elderly home and rely on their unmarried middle-aged daughter who has long carried the financial and emotional pressure of caring for them. Lam Siu Ming duly carries out filial responsibilities for the only family he has left, the cancer-stricken mentally disabled mother who abandoned him as a child.