These are our ten recommended short films from the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which will take place from March 28 – April 8, 2024 in Hong Kong.

A Bird Called Memory by Leonardo Martinelli – Brazil, UK | 2023 – 15 minutes

A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Searching for Memory in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, a trans woman comes to realise that the city can be hostile. Her quest for the missing Memory transforms an urban space from treacherous to transcendent. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Circle by Joung Yumi – Korea | 2024 – 7 minutes

A young girl draws a circle on the ground. One by one, passersby step into it, crowding together, and soon struggle to make room for each other. When the girl returns and no space is left available, she erases the circle, and they start heading on their way. Only emptiness remains. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Cross My Heart and Hope To Die by Sam Manacsa – Philippines | 2023 – 17 minutes

Struggling to make a living, Mila is about to attempt suicide, when a stranger unexpectedly comes in, looking for her boss. Annoyed by her salary cut and overtime work, Mila finds comfort in a love interest through his constant phone calls. But her hope of love soon turns to tragedy…(HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Electra by Daria Kashcheeva – Czech Republic, France | 2023 – 27 minutes

Electra rethinks her 10th birthday, fusing memories with imagination and hidden dreams. In her fantasy world, full of made-up busty dolls and plastic male body parts, she lets out her suppressed feelings, again experiencing rebellion against her mother and mixed feelings for her father. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Kawauso by Izuhara Akihito – Japan | 2023 – 15 minutes

A girl walks through the tall grass. An otter catches up with her and joins her on her walk. Rain begins to fall from the sky, alongside humanity’s junk, which threatens to bury everything beneath it. Drawn in delicate black and white, it chants an apologetic farewell to the extinct Japanese otter. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Oyu by Hirai Atsushi – Japan | 2023 – 21 minutes

On New Year’s Eve, a man from Tokyo comes to a small town public baths to retrieve a left-behind bathing basket. Entering with an old ticket, he immerses in long-forgotten memories, among clouds of steam and warm conversations, as a simple bath slowly becomes an existential reflection. (HKIFF 2024)

Silent Panorama by Nicolas Piret – Belgium | 2024 – 5 minutes

On a sheet of paper, a journey begins. Two campers at the base of a cliff are intrigued by outside noises. Their trip takes them across the forest, through a deserted landscape and into the city; as sounds give life to these places, they observe how humanity disturbs the natural order. (HKIFF 2024)

The Waves by Joung Yumi – Korea | 2023 – 9 minutes

Waves coming and going on an empty beach. One by one, various people appear on the shore, but no one pays attention to an old lady, who wanders back and forth bidding farewell to her loved ones. Soon, only the rhythm of the waves remains. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

Wandering Bird by Victor Dupuis – Belgium | 2023 – 15 minutes

A body is floating in the water. While Remy is recording sounds in the forest, the mysterious song of a bird catches his attention. His friend comes near. Memories come alive again. A film about hearing and listening, about speaking out, forgiving and saying farewell. (HKIFF 2024)

Trailer:

When Winter Comes by Yuan Yuan – US, China | 2024 – 20 minutes

A mother from China searches for her missing daughter in New York. Called to identify a dead body, she insists that the victim is not her daughter. Against the winter cold, she begins to post missing person flyers on the streets, day after day. (HKIFF 2024)

For more information, please visit: https://www.hkiff.org.hk/