December 1, 2022
The School of Communication held SCOM Talk Series #45 on 1 December 1 2022, featuring Mr Eric Tsang Hing-weng, director of the film “Hong Kong Family”, as the guest speaker to share with students and staff how he had realised his dream in the film industry.
As the debut feature film of Mr Tsang, “Hong Kong Family” (2022) was the award-winning project of the 5th First Feature Film Initiative and was shortlisted in Busan International Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. It was also voted the Audience’s Choice in the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.
Mr Tsang recalled that when he was studying at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he was already eager to use videos to record his thoughts and feelings about life and society. He did not find a full-time job after graduation, but he embarked on his exploratory journey by starting to shoot documentaries. Later, he began to create short films and participated in different competitions. After winning awards, he had opportunities to participate in overseas film festivals, which in return broadened his horizons and network. He then brought back his experience to Hong Kong and began to groom young people to become a new generation of directors. Now he has set up a video company himself, engaging in video production projects with business corporations.
Talking about his new film “Hong Kong Family”, Mr Tsang said that he had started planning the project some years ago, using the story of his own family as the blueprint. To take the project forward, he sent in application to the 5th First Feature Film Initiative and successfully obtained funding.
During the talk, Mr Tsang also showed the video clips of his works produced from his university years to his recent days. He also shared a lot of creative ideas and storytelling techniques with the audience. He encouraged students to find out what they want to achieve, be brave to feel life, and then gear up to work hard to attain their goals as long as they are young enough to accept challenges.
