We present the films that will open the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival (Hong Kong) which will take place from June 9 until July 2, 2023 at the Broadway Cinematheque, Premiere Elements, and Golden Scene Cinema, in Hong Kong.

Opening Film

Cookie, Sissy, Banana, and Bean-curd come from dysfunctional families in Tuen Mun. The rebellious young girls defy social norms and would have casual sex and abort at the age of 13, attempt self-harm or suicide, take drugs rather than go to school. Spacked Out was inspired by Unmanned Vehicles, a popular nightly phone-in radio programme aired after midnight between 1999 and 2000. With no host and very minimal moderation, it encouraged young people to call and narrate their own stories in a free-style manner, and immediately became controversial.

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Opening Short Films

Set against the backdrop of a working farm in rural Northern Ireland, An Irish Goodbye is a black comedy about the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan following the untimely death of their mother, under the watchful eye of odd-ball parish priest Father O’Shea. Turlough must now make new arrangements for Lorcan, who has Down Syndrome, while Lorcan dreams of continuing to work the land he grew up on. When the brothers discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mother, Lorcan senses an opportunity: he will not leave the farm until every single wish on the list is completed.

Trailer:

Four years have passed since the event. Lost and changed, Ling returns to the society, uncertain about her future. People around her avoid talking about what has transpired, their meaningful whispers echoing in the void. One night, Ling meets her younger self from four years ago. They try but know not how to talk to each other. With the scar still throbbing, should the older express regret or encouragement for the younger? Would the younger question the older, can she sympathise with what she is yet to learn? An extraordinary time travel story about the melancholic self-reflection of one’s whereabouts, in the past and in the future.  

Trailer:

A driver who has ties with criminals follows certain principles and distinguishes himself from the “bad guys”. But just as the unanticipated carrots found in the usual “Today’s Special”, this night’s mission is made special when a young woman is seemingly in grave danger. Trying his best to avert the crisis through a night’s battle of car chases and fist fights, he arrives at the totally unexpected destination of futility. Appropriating the most popular elements of Hong Kong genre cinema: triads, street fights and car chases, Tiger YAU’s first drama short cooks up a visually rich bowl of “Today’s Special”.

Trailer:

More information: https://www.freshwave.hk/?a=group&id=17_feshwave