Written & Interviewed by Jennifer Lau
Images Courtesy of TIFF

Scene from In Passing, Courtesy of TIFF.

Next Wave Film Festival is the youth-focused film festival at TIFF, free for anyone under 25 and programmed by the TIFF Next Wave Committee. Esther Cheung’s film, 風不太冷 In Passing, is part of this Young Creators Showcase. The film portrays 1970s Hong Kong through the eyes of her parents and “transports viewers and immerses them in the fleeting moments of everyday Hong Kong. Following two neighbours as they grow up in government housing in bustling Mong Kok, Kowloon, the film pays homage to old Hong Kong, and aims to capture the history and rich culture of the times.” It has already won the 2019 Taichung International Animation Festival Jury Distinction Award (Taiwan) and the 2019 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Air Canada Award (Canada).

This week, Fête Chinoise sat down to learn more about this young creative. The Canadian-born Chinese director grew up in the suburbs of Toronto and was determined to create this film after realizing that she did not know as much about her heritage as she would have liked and that she did not want the culture of her family to disappear. Cheung shares with Fête Chinoise that the catalyst for the film was this sense of loss and preservation for her family’s customs and culture: “[It] sparked the interest in my parents' stories and their upbringing, which is what eventually drew me back to Hong Kong to learn more.”

In and about Hong Kong

We asked Esther Cheung about the inspiration for this animated short as the television set, the apartment’s architecture, and many other details seemed very accurate to the former British colony of Hong Kong. She excitedly shared that she took inspiration from life in old Hong Kong as explained to her by her family members — her parents, uncles, aunts, and grand-aunt. Based on the collective experiences as relayed to her, she then stitched a picture to her best ability.

She went on to explain how critical it was to see the locations depicted in the film in real life. Cheung shares: “Being situated in Hong Kong during the pre-production of the short, being able to visit the places where my parents grew up, and walking the streets they used to walk helped me better understand life in the city. While I was there, I also visited museums and found many old photos that I referenced during production.”

Why Depict Typhoons?

We asked Cheung about the central theme of the typhoon in her animated short. She explains: “Typhoons were one of the few constants in the city that seemed to pull together the millions of individual lives to be in sync for a brief period of time. I think it was a thing that really stuck with me as it is not something you can experience in North America.”

Indeed, the typhoons places a fermata over the cities affected as offices close and residents stay in bracing for the storm to end. For example, in a normally bustling financial capital such as Hong Kong, it is a time for all its inhabitants to slow down. In Canada and the United States, we may experience severe weather and earthquakes, but it is distinctly different from typhoons, which are regular occurrences year after year.

Typhoons or tropical cyclones resonate deeply with many Asian diasporas and those living in East Asia as the summer seasons come and go. Typhoon season begins from May until November and there is a specific scale to measure these storms in Hong Kong. A typhoon can rank from number 1 to 10. A typhoon number 8 requires residents to return home; and a typhoon number 10, also known as a hurricane, occurs about once every decade. It is very intriguing that the director would take this shared experience to highlight in her 4 minute creation.

What’s Next?

Being Chinese Canadian is another facet of director, Esther Cheung. She hopes to continue to share her ideas, as they are already forming, in a future short film. We look forward to seeing what she will accomplish!

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

2019 Linoleum Festival of Contemporary Animation and Media Art, UKRAINE
2019 Ottawa International Animation Festival, CANADA
2019 Anim!Arte International Student Animation Festival, BRAZIL
2019 New Chitose Airport Animation Festival, JAPAN
2019 Istanbul International Architecture and Urban Films Festival, TURKEY
2019 Toronto Arthouse Film Festival, CANADA
2019 Kuandu International Animation Festival, TAIWAN
2019 Sweaty Eyeballs, USA
2019 Cartoons Underground, SINGAPORE
2019 Paris International Animation Festival, FRANCE
2019 International Moving Film Festival, IRAN
2019 CutOut Fest International Animation and Digital Art Festival, MEXICO
2019 DEMO Festival, NETHERLANDS
2019 Asperger Film Festival, ITALY
2019 Pori Film Festival, FINLAND
2019 GIRAF Animation Festival, CANADA
2019 Tbilisi International Animation Festival, GEORGIA
2020 Particle + Wave Media Arts Festival, CANADA
2020 Global University Film Awards, HONG KONG, CHINA
2020 Animation Dingle, IRELAND
2020 Anima: The Brussels Animation Film Festival, BELGIUM
2020 Seattle Asian American Film Festival USA
2020 Ogeechee International History Film Festival, USA
2020, TIFF Next Wave, CANADA
2020, 13th International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
2020, BFI Future Film Festival, UK
2020, Brussels Independent Film Festival, BELGIUM
2020, Cambodia International Film Festival, CAMBODIA
2020, Toronto Animation Arts Film Festival, CANADA
2020, New York International Children's Film Festival, USA
2020, Athens Animfest, GREECE