These are our fifteen recommended short films from the ifva Festival, which is taking place from March 3 – 17, 2024 at the Louis Koo Cinema of the Hong Kong Arts Center.

80dB by Lam Tsz Ching – Hong Kong | 2023 – 6 minutes

The film follows the story of two friends, one of them has normal hearing, while the other is hard of hearing. The focus is on their interactions and conversations, and the ways in which their different hearing abilities impact their communication and social experiences. (ifva Festival 2024)

A Night with Moosina by Tsai Shiu-Cheng – Taiwan | 2023 – 26 minutes

On a full moon night, a 10-year-old girl in a remote village is lured by Moosina into a cave in the mountains, where she discovers the secret about why the mountain demon always plays dirty tricks on children. (ifva Festival 2024)

Trailer:

Destruction by Igor Smola – Azerbaijan | 2022 – 23 minutes

A wounded boy bursts into an artist’s studio, gushing blood on the floor. She tries to help him to no avail. A policeman arrives at the crime scene who does not believe her story. He asks strange questions, and reality slowly distorts, turning into a cat’s dream. (ifva Festival 2024)

Lies Are Everywhere by Tsoi Ching Fung – Hong Kong | 2023 – 5 minutes

A student is bullied by three school bullies, and there should be a fair judgement but everything is wrapped inside a “lie”. Everyone’s words are mixed with lies. The truth could also be a lie, or there is another game behind, at the mercy of others. (ifva Festival 2024)

Lonely Together by Sham Kwan Yin – Hong Kong | 2023 – 24 minutes

The billboards in the bustling city sell various exciting lifestyles, but Chi-keung is trapped in a dull and unhappy life. When he loses his passion, he meets Ka-yan a fellow traveller, and a brief spark teaches them both how to face a spiritual crisis. (ifva Festival 2024)

Mirage by Atefeh Salehi – Iran | 2022 – 17 minutes

A mysterious girl rides a truck on the road. After spending some time with the driver, the man reminds her of her father and her miserable past. She spends the night with the driver, and before sunrise, while the driver is still asleep, the girl kills him with a kick in the head and leaves. (ifva Festival 2024)

Trailer:

Monsoon Blue by Wong Hiu Kit Jay, Chan Ka Yin Ellis – Hong Kong | 2023 – 5 minutes

When looking for the answer to the question “why do I exist”, a storm is conjured up. There are times of darkness, changes, pain and suffocation, when heavy rain suddenly floods the fragile mind. The captive goldfish looks for answers and strives to return to its place of origin. However, it remains struggling in the bag, just like an oppressed individual who has nowhere to turn. (ifva Festival 2024)

Rest in Peace by Kun Tsai – China | 2023 – 29 minutes

Dummy, an honest paper-making craftsman, learns that he would soon die, and hopes to be buried according to traditional customs. However, due to the local implementation of funeral reforms, Dummy’s wish comes to nothing. So, his good buddy Buggy who has a way of doing things help him to find a surrogate body for cremation. (ifva Festival 2024)

Sushi by Wong Cheuk Man – Hong Kong | 2023 – 30 minutes

High school student Faye leads a lonesome life, being bullied at school and with her family living abroad. She keeps a distance from others, including her classmate whom she secretly admires. Yearning for love and desperate to break away from her mundane life, Faye becomes a part-time girlfriend. Navigating the tumultuous journey of love, Faye eventually loses herself. (ifva Festival 2024)

The Freedom of Student by Pang Shun Yin – Hong Kong | 2023 – 24 minutes

A boarding school penalises student for having their own interest in order to keep them focused on their studies. The protagonist falls in love with piano after his enrolment, and is uncertain whether he should go with the flow with his classmates or continue playing the piano. He is perplexed about his own future. (ifva Festival 2024)

The Gift by Amanda Lau – Hong Kong | 2023 – 10 minutes

Single mother and autistic daughter Yan live together with endless fights because they never agree with each other. It is only through Yan’s painting that her mother realises her wish is just to grow up healthily, both of them. (ifva Festival 2024)

The Maze of Identity by Chan Pak Yin – Hong Kong | 2023 – 6 minutes

Koo is worried after knowing his/her target of bullying Lei Chin Tung goes missing with no reason. Therefore he/she takes Ning along to looking for him/her after class. During the search, Koo realises his/her feeling for Lei Chin Tung is not as pure as it seems. (ifva Festival 2024)

The Rubbings of Trajectories by Chung Cheng-Hsu – Taiwan | 2023 – 4 minutes

An intimate documentation about space and memory. Drawing inspiration from traveling in different cities around the globe, the work invites viewers to slip into a person’s consciousness and experience the relationship between one’s inner and outer worlds. While the surroundings constantly shift, their mind also goes through a series of transformations. (ifva Festival 2024)

Unofficial History of Time by Kun Hou Teng – Macau, Taiwan | 2023 – 25 minutes

The 31-year-old Tong and her partner return to the place where they met in college, passing through the Wufu Road where she was born and grew up, recalling the hidden history in her life. (ifva Festival 2024)

When the Wind Rises by Hung Chen – Taiwan | 2023 – 19 minutes

The story is set in a small fish village which became uneasy due to a plant expansion project from the oil refinery nearby. As the plot progresses, the intense fight between Huang the protester, the villagers, and the refinery soon unfold. (ifva Festival 2024)

For more information, please visit: https://hkac.org.hk/calendar_detail/?u=FP2lvSY9qag