The Weaving of a Dream: Johnnie To's Vision and Craft

Hong Kong's Weepie

Raymond is a boyish thirty-something content with his wife Nancy and son Kai Zhen who studies K2. Nancy decides to spur up Kai Zhen's "talents" with an onslaught of extracurricular activities. They are tickets to a handful of certificates and awards so that Kai Zhen will not be overshadowed by other kids and may receive placement in more elite schools. Disapproving of the move, Raymond hopes his son could enjoy his childhood. Nancy insists and asks Raymond to find Kai Zhen a referee for school enrolment. In the meanwhile, Raymond was sacked and had to leave his job of twenty years. A painful journey begins with his job hunt and eventual sale of his own favourite toys and pleasures. For the sake of his son, he swallows his pride and begs his old boss to be his son’s referee.

Keep Rolling

One of Hong Kong's most influential filmmakers, Ann Hui, becomes a “star” for the first time in Man Lim-chung's directorial debut. A forerunner of the New Wave, Hui’s tumultuous, forty-year career is an unequivocal testimony to her unyielding dedication to filmmaking, and her expedition into the metamorphic city. This biopic probes into the acclaimed director’s idiosyncratic world, where we witness her rashness and goofiness, as well as her humanistic concerns for the everyday nobodies which make her films so moving.

Boundless

As Hong Kong's foremost filmmaker, Johnnie To himself becomes the protagonist of this painstaking documentary exploring him and his Boundless world of film. A film student from Beijing and avid Johnnie To fan, Ferris Lin boldly approached To with a proposal to document the master director for his graduation thesis. To agreed immediately and Lin's camera closely followed him for over two years, capturing the man behind the movies and the myths. The result is Boundless, a candid profile of one of Hong Kong's greatest directors and a heartfelt love letter to Hong Kong cinema.

My White Balloon

A 16-year-old girl falls in love with a boy and gets pregnant. The boy wants nothing to do with the baby, and the girl's mother, believing she's doing the right thing, forces her daughter to get an abortion. This story may happen everywhere, and we may read about them everyday in the news. However, what sets The White Balloon apart from those stories is the emotional journey the girl and her mother take as they realize that they have no one in the world but each other.

Belated Listen

Sum, son of a policeman, is bullied at school and finds no comfort or care at home. As the demonstrations and violence in Hong Kong escalate, he suffers more violent and humiliating bullying. Wing, Sum's father, also faces enormous pressure under investigation of police brutality. The rift between father and son widens as the latter is increasingly abused and isolated at school. Things get out of control when the angry Sum unexpectedly finds a gun amidst the upheaval.