Hong Kong: Unbreakable Youth. Films and discussion

Hong Kong has been going through tremendous changes since 2019: protests against the extradition bill, the introduction of the national security law, and COVID-19 shook the city. Many young people in Hong Kong are forced to part from their friends, who either choose to move to a foreign country to start a new life or are arrested and imprisoned. 

The filmmaker Erica Kwok captures the aura of the city and how young people react to the various social issues through the lenses of her camera. The selected two short films, The Dancing Voice of Youth (2021) and 27 (2022) reflect the experiences of Hong Kong’s youth and their resilience. 

After watching the two short films by Erica Kwok, curator Karen Cheung will hold a conversation with Erica and the audience.

Featured films

The Dancing Voice of Youth｜2021 | 21’40

A girl with a mysterious background arrives at the city, whose existence gradually becomes as light as the floating air. In the dark night of a chaotic age, must we live like spectres?

27 | 2022 | 28’58

A coming-of-age short depicts the main character, Yumi and her record store coworker, as they experience existential dread about turning 27 years old, the age that many Western rock stars passed. Between daydreaming and questioning their life direction, the two supervise the record store and its quirky cast of customers and get up to their shenanigans in the process.

Speakers

Erica Kwok (Director and scriptwriter)

Erica Kwok is an audio-visual creator adept at creating combinations and exchanges with various media and fond of thinking about and exploring words and images. Born in a place with political instability, she learnt to find her identity through exploring her imagination. Her works mainly focus on impetuousness, playfulness and vitality. 

Karen Cheung (Curator and producer)

Born and raised in Hong Kong, now based in Berlin, Germany. ​In 2017, she moved to Berlin for her MA in Cultural Studies at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin with a focus on political philosophy and Hong Kong's colonial history. With her cross-disciplinary experiences and focus on politics, she produced plays related to feminism, refugee issues and racism.

The event will take place in Humboldt University Berlin, Institute for Asian and African Studies, Room 315, Invalidenstraße 118, 10115 Berlin.