Short Film Program: Re-examining The Mundane

32+4
CHAN Hau Chun, Hong Kong 2014, 32 min., Cantonese with English subtitles (Berlin Premiere)

THE SILENCE OF HANDS
LIU Yujia, Mainland China 2021, 19 min., Chinese with English subtitles (European Premiere)

A DOG UNDER BRIDGE
TANG Rehoo, Mainland China 2022, 13 min., Chinese with English subtitles (Berlin Premiere)

BEFORE THE FLIGHT
CHAN Kiwi, Macao 2022, 37 min., English and Wikang Tagalog with Chinese and English subtitles (European Premiere)

COMPOUND EYES OF TROPICAL
ZHANG XU Zhan, Taiwan 2022, 17 min., no dialogue (Berlin Premiere)

Films that offer diverse perspectives on the mundane. In 32+4, the director uses the lens to confront the viewer with the deeply intimate family wounds. THE SILENCE OF THE HAND shifts the focus to the hands of female laborers from Xinjiang; as they gaze back at the cinematographer, the production of fabric and the filmic realm concurrently unfolds both in front of and behind the camera. A DOG UNDER A BRIDGE adopts the viewpoint of dogs which serves as a metaphor for the vagabonds discarded in the production of society, a seemingly absurd technique to mirror the underlying loneliness of urban dwellers. BEFORE THE FLIGHT focuses on Filipino domestic workers in Macau, veering away from conventional narratives about marginalized groups and instead showcasing an array of emotions – joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure – all experienced within this Filipino labor community. Finally, COMPOUND EYES OF TROPICAL similarly adopts the perspective of an animal – a fly – to recreate Southeast Asian folk tales to reflect on the intertwined and fluid cultural nature of different nations, identities, and ethnicities.