The CNEX Documentary Cinema (CNEX 紀錄片影院) was held in September 2013 to February 2014.
【Inside and Outside the Mirror: Documentary Moments】
Documentary film is both a window and a mirror.
In an environment dominated by high rentals and commercial films, documentary films have always been marginalised in Hong Kong, with few opportunities to be shown in cinemas in the form of non-film festivals. CNEX hope to open up new tastes for audiences by promoting high-quality documentaries, and to let the public know more about the situation of Chinese societies in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan by inviting filmmakers to exchange views with the audience, so as to show the humanistic concern through images and dialogues.
From November 2013 to February 2014, CNEX and Broadway Cinematheque will select a documentary film to be screened twice a month at Broadway Cinematheque, a pilgrimage site for films. Directors and cultural workers will be invited to share their experiences and insights on filming after the screenings, and interact with the audience, so as to open up a different landscape of life through light, shadow and dialogues.
The loss and struggle, the breakthroughs and the hopes of these souls will take place from November 2013 to February 2014 and are not to be missed!
CNEX is proud to present a selection of 5 documentary films, including:
The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)
Producer: Thomas Lennon | Director: Ruby Yang
A year in the life of children in the remote villages of Anhui Province, China, who have lost their parents to AIDS. Traditional obligations to family and village collide with terror of the disease.
The Warriors of Qiugang (2010)
Producer: Thomas Lennon | Director: Ruby Yang
Villagers in central China take on a chemical company that is poisoning their land and water. For five years they fight to transform their environment and as they do, they find themselves transformed as well.
- Date of event : 30 November and 4 December 2014
- Post-screening talk : 30 November 2013
Solitary Joy (2012)
Director: Wang Yen-Ni
TONG Yang-tze, born in 1942, Shanghai, living in Taipei. As a prominent contemporary calligrapher, Tong Yang-tze on one hand has inherited the traditions of Chinese calligraphy in her works to carry forward the essence of classical Chinese calligraphy art. On the other hand, she is keen to interact with artists of different disciplines and has attempted to apply calligraphy in a variety of media. She has integrated effectively both the fine traditions of calligraphy and contemporary arts in her artistic creations, garnering attention and discussion.
SOLITARY JOY documents the mental process and her sense of accomplishment as TONG committed herself to the art-making of Chinese calligraphy. The film followed Lady Tong through her exhibitions and activities in the past three years and used this timeline to show her life and creative process. By looking at each and every powerful stroke in her affluent and roaring works, as well as her yet-again courageous steps and breakthroughs, we see how she proved in action what she advocates: The beauty and value of Chinese characters transcends themselves into pure art, a form of modern art as well as a new branch of aesthetics.
- Date of event : 15 and 29 December 2013
- Post-screening talk : 15 December 2013
Sock ‘n Roll (2013)
Director: Ho Chao-ti
Taiwan’s Shetou Township produces 80% of Taiwan’s socks, and half of its residents work in family-run hosiery factories. One of those factories is run by Black Dog (real name: Lee Tung-lin), a former volleyball player who has a passion for producing the perfect socks for athletes. However, the economic downturn is causing Black Dog’s business to dwindle, made worse by cancelled orders and bounced checks. In this inspiring documentary produced by Taiwan’s Business Weekly Magazine, director Hao Chao-ti captures a turning point in the life of an upstanding entrepreneur nearly brought down by illness and a rapidly evolving economy. Sock’n Roll shows us the importance of reinvention and a strong will in the choppy sea that is today’s business world.
- Date of event : 12 and 22 January 2014
- Post-screening talk : 22 January 2014
Last Train Home (2011)
Director: Lixin Fan
Every spring, China’s cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the New Year in the world’s largest human migration. Last Train Home takes viewers on a heart-stopping journey with the Zhangs, a couple who left infant children behind for factory jobs 16 years ago, hoping their wages would lift their children to a better life. They return to a family growing distant and a daughter longing to leave school for unskilled work. As the Zhangs navigate their new world, Last Train Home paints a rich, human portrait of China’s rush to economic development. An EyeSteelFilm production in association with ITVS International. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media. An Official Selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Winner of Best Feature-Length Documentary Award, 2009 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
- Date of event : 22 and 27 February 2014
- Post-screening talk : 22 February 2014
