Room 404
The Implementation of the new security law in 2020 marked a major historical shift for the people of Hong Kong. This 2-year process brought on the reality which was not expected to have materialized until 2046. This harsh, unexpected acceleration fueled feelings of anxiety and distress. The fear of prosecution mixed with the impulse for self-censorship, the desire to leave wrestled with a sense of loss. Room 404 is an essayistic response to the documentary Room 525 shot by the same artists during the art residency in Hong Kong back in 2019 while the social unrest was growing. The film marks the transition from documentary to essay, from the real space of room 525, to the reality marked by the most common error of the digital age 404: File Not Found. The desire to express the objective truth of the situation which drove the makers experiencing the calamity as it unravelled, gives way to doubt that permeates the situation, which emerges in the post-calamity state.
Elysa Wendi – a Singaporean artist and filmmaker based in Hong Kong. After dancing for ten years professionally, she began experimenting with choreographic ideas with the medium of film, performances and curatorial projects. She is a co-founder of Cinemovement, a platform facilitating the creation of dance films in laboratory settings through cultural exchanges. Interested in the abstraction of memory from place, time and biographical traces, Wendi explores these themes in her live and film works. Her short film 1958 Delivery has been lauded for its artful juxtaposition of photography, history and performative rituals, and won the best experimental film award at the 2018 South Taiwan Film Festival. She recently received best documentary award from Hong Kong ArtHouse Film festival for Forgive and Not to Forgive.
Lee Wai Shing – A Hong Kong independent filmmaker. His involvement with Chinese Independent Documentary Lab from 2016-2018 has exposed him to many independent documentary possibilities. His latest documentary film Family Family Day which was made with the support of HKU Documentary Seed Grants, has won the Gold Award (Open Category) in the 24th ifva Awards in Hong Kong. He is currently working as an editor for documentary film projects with other directors as well as working on his experimental film works.