'Attention documentary fans! we want to let everyone know about the Chinese documentary film festival 2016!'

Chinese Documentary Festival 2016 ** Opening in September** 

The Chinese Documentary Festival will officially begin on 9 September, tickets are now available. Topics of films this year are unique and riveting. Films from China address the roots of social issues, showcase the current situation of the Chinese society, and expose different facets of human nature. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese works gently showcase stories of social tactile and human spirit.  The two documentaries 《吾土》 (‘My Land’) and 《廢城記》 (‘Wandering Village’) both dig deep into the problem of demolition in China. They record the situation of the society under large-scale and overwhelming urbanization plans. Under these plans, the officials and businessmen have unscrupulous means of land collection, like how they conspire to cut off tenants’ water and electricity supply, force the people into an impasse, or even collude with hooligan gangs to evict the people by force. The impacts of resumption and demolition affect many people negatively and bring about serious trouble to various stakeholders in the long run, which is why it is considered as a severe social issue nowadays. Apart from the demolition problem, education is also a debatable hot topic. 《毛坦廠的日與夜》 (‘The Days and Nights of Maotanchang’) documents the condition of Maotanchang High School, which is also known as the ‘National College Entrance Examination Factory’. Students are subject to rote learning, while teachers are breathing down their backs every second. One single exam decides the fate of the exam candidates, which turns the examination room into a battlefield. The utilitarian social atmosphere completely warps the true meaning of education. What is education? How are we supposed to educate and be educated? Hong Kongers ought to ponder over these questions as well.     Xu Tong, a veteran Chinese director, excels at unearthing bizarre people and stories. His new work, 《挖眼睛》(‘Cut Out the Eyes’) fully reflects his unique style. It also has outstanding cinematography, which captures the boundless, exotic atmosphere of Inner Mongolia. He also brought the historical yet entertaining「二人台」(‘Duet’) drama to the silver screen; a topic very fresh and new to audiences in Hong Kong. What’s even more interesting and soul-stirring is when a busker has a narrow escape from death. After all, as Xu Tong said,‘Cut Out the Eyes’is all about continuing life in death. Some people sing and act for a living, and some people live to sing and act: even though the troupes foreman in Taiwanese video《戲台滾人生》 has been diagnosed with an incurable disease, he still perseveres in leading the troupe and inheriting the Taiwanese folk opera「歌仔戲」. This moving story brings out the difficulty of preserving traditional arts; apart from the financial strain, there is also a lack of successors. How to pass the torch in the area of traditional arts is definitely a common education topic for all of Greater China.  At what price does art come? What is the function of art? Guo Xiaoyun’s 《金剛心路》(‘Meeting with Bodhisattva’) is a story of a group of ex-prisoners in Taiwan. They join the dharma drum training introduced by U-Theatre and embark on the journey of mind training, proving that art can in fact change lives. ‘Meeting with Bodhisattva’ tells its audience that performance arts is not only a form of entertainment, but can also be a form of training for the body, heart and soul. Another Taiwanese film《海上情書》 (‘Trapped at Sea, Lost in Time’) is a very large-scale, expansive production. The camera crew follows a fishing boat across the vast ocean, and shoots a production as impressive as the ones on National Geographic. It fully captures the real situation of fishing in the Deep Blue, which is captivating and rarely seen. The directors of all the works mentioned above will be visiting Hong Kong in September to share their experiences with the audience.   Programme Information Date: 9th September 2016 - 16th October 2016 Screening Locations: 1. Hong Kong Space Museum (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong) 2. Hong Kong Science Museum (2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong) 3. The Grand Cinema (2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon Station, Hong Kong)    Ticketing Information Tickets are now available.Tickets for screenings in the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Science Museum will be available through the URBTIX website.Standard price: $70Tickets for screenings in The Grand Cinema will be available through The Grand Cinema ticketing office, website and app.Standard price: $85  (For more details please refer to the attached Festival brochure.)    About Visible Record Limited Visible Record Limited was founded by Hong Kong documentary filmmaker Tammy Cheung, photographer Augustine Lam with other like-minded individuals from the fields of film, culture and education. Visible Record is a non-profit organisation that advocates for the art and culture of documentary film. Other than producing and distributing films, it also organises film screenings, seminars, training courses, and many other programmes to nurture documentary film talents and enhance appreciation of the film form. In 2008, Visible Record founded the annual Chinese Documentary Festival in Hong Kong. It is the world’s first annual film festival to focus on Pan-Chinese documentaries and is an important exchange platform for Pan-Chinese documentaries. Visible Record also organises other events and activities, including the Senior Citizens Documentary Production Workshops, Schools and Community Doc-tour for education and community organisations, as well as Moon Beam - Dating with Documentary that holds regular documentary screenings. 

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Press Enquiries  Augustine Lam              

Telephone: (+852) 9770 6655/2540 7855                                       

Email: visiblerecord@gmail.com 

Kin Wong                    

Telephone: (+852) 5136 1019/2540 7977                                       

Email: waikin_wong@visiblerecord.com