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Poetry on Film is a moving image commissioning project for young and emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, motivated by the belief that poetry possesses an inherent cinematic quality. Its rhythmic cadence, vivid imagery, and emotional depth offer a rich tapestry for filmmakers to weave their visual narratives. Animator STEP C., narrative filmmaker Chu Hoi Ying, analogue film artist Jolene Mok, and documentarian Lee Wai Shing were asked to choose a contemporary Chinese-language poem written by a local writer, then visualise it using their personal cinematic language. The resulting shorts showcase the diversity of Hong Kong moving image practice, with unique approaches to medium, storytelling, cinematography, and sound.

Inspired by the poem A Snail in a Phone Box (2006) by Dr Eric Lui. The work synthesises new insights into visuals and poetry. What begins as a promise evolves into an exploration of the emotional links between poetry and the art of loving, eventually transforming into a hegemony of power. To recreate this message, I developed a new surreal style that combines live action with animation, building a realm that blurs the boundaries between reality and dreams.

Countless moving cuboids dispersed across the city act as witnesses to the secret whispers that are drowned out by the crowd.

Chu collaborated with young dancers and choreographers to explore prolific Hong Kong poet Yam Gong’s “Daily Life” (1987), which describes the nightmarish experience of falling seriously ill.

The motions and gestures of military riot police, slowed down while performed by dancers, are surprisingly beautiful. Menace and violence estranged from context and time looks eerily strange, and all too familiar. In this gallery piece, Isaac Chong Wai somehow anticipates, a year early, key images of the Hong Kong protests.

Hide & Seek offers a layered reflection of Liu’s body of work, playfully repurposing images of urban spaces and personal histories. Composed with modular synthesizers, the soundscapes in this series open new generative possibilities in the artist's creative practice. The series aims to engage audiences with moving image in the contemporary era and highlight our experience of viewing artworks collectively in a screening space.

Lee Wai Shing’s short film focuses on family in response to Huang Canran’s poem ‘So Close’, narrating a son’s journey to visit his mother in North Point

Artist Jolene Mok contrasts the movements of Hong Kong’s sparrows with different forms of local transport in response to Hong Fu’s poem ‘Suppose a Few Birds Fly By'