[Asian Independent Cinema Showcase] Vancouver Premiere of KISSING THE GROUND YOU WALKED ON & Conversation with Director HONG HENG-FAI

UBC Asian Independent Cinema Showcase 2025

Vancouver Premiere: Kissing the Ground You Walked On 海鷗來過的房間
Conversation with Director HONG HENG-FAI 孔慶輝

Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Time: 19:00-20:45 (Film Screening); 20:45-21:15 (Virtual Q&A)
Venue: C300 Theatre, UBC Robson Square
Address: 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A7 | Map | Directions


The second edition of the UBC Asian Independent Cinema Showcase will open with the Vancouver premiere of Kissing the Ground You Walked On 海鷗來過的房間, an award-winning film about desire and illusion in the urban space by Macau director Hong Heng-fai 孔慶輝.

The screening will be followed by a virtual conversation with director Hong Heng-fai.The film is in Cantonese with English subtitles, and the conversation will be conducted in English.

This is a free of charge, in person event. Seats are limited.

RSVP here.

Trailer

Synopsis

In the suffocating heat of summer, Chao, a writer who has not written for years, is looking for a tenant to share a spare room in his house. One day, Chong, a young man who claimed to be an actor, came to rent the room. His clear and innocent eyes have evoked the writer’s interest. Chao, who is keen to “observe people” begins to refer to the new tenant as the blueprint of his new novel. He finds out that the daily life of Chong is a performance in itself, and he enjoys being a loyal audience to this fake persona. The drama “The Seagull” starring Chong is about to be staged. However, he is dropped by the team suddenly due to his inability to act. Being frustrated to lose his role, Chong discovers that Chao is writing the protagonist of his latest novel in accordance to him. Both of them are now confused by the illusion and desire in different roles, pushing them to the same ending.

About the Director

Hong Heng-fai is a film director from Macau. With his first feature length film Kissing the Ground You Walked On (2022), he won the Best Director award in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language) of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The film was also selected by the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR), the São Paulo International Film Festival (MOSTRA), and received three nominations for Best New Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Effects at the 59th Golden Horse Awards. His short film “Crash” was selected by multiple international film festivals and won awards at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the Southern Taiwan Film Festival, and the China Independent Film Festival. It was also the first Macau film to be nominated for the Golden Horse Awards.


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電影簡介:
一個無風的盛夏,曾為作家的房仲周迅生,迎來一位房客,一個清澈稚嫩、熱衷在生活中表演的劇場演員,他很快地成為迅生觀察的對象。而在舞台劇〈海鷗〉上演前,演員痛失角色,卻發現自己活成了迅生小說中的主角。一名渴望被凝視的演員,一名只能寄情於文字狂想的作家,戲裡戲外,在不同角色間困惑混淆,釋放慾望。

導演簡介:
孔慶輝
澳⾨電影導演憑電影⾸作《海鷗來過的房間》(2022) 獲得香港國際電影節新秀電影競賽(華語)最佳導演,電影更入選荷蘭鹿特丹國際影展、巴⻄聖保羅國際影展,並獲第 59 屆⾦⾺獎最佳新導演、最佳攝影及最佳⾳效三項提名。其短片作品《撞牆》(2016)入選多個國際影展,並於韓國富川奇幻影展、台灣南⽅影展、中國獨立影像展等獲獎,更成為⾸部澳⾨作品獲提名第 53 屆台北⾦⾺獎最佳劇情短片。

 

About the UBC Asian Independent Cinema Showcase

Launched in 2024, the Asian Independent Cinema Showcase (AICS) is a UBC-based film festival that aims to foster a film appreciation community within and beyond the university; cultivate media literacy and cross-cultural understanding; and give voices to independent stories told by Asian filmmakers. Broadly speaking, an "independent film" is considered to be a creative work produced outside big or mainstream studios. Through the lens of independent cinemas, the AICS is committed to serve as a participatory platform for publication and dialogue between independent storytellers, underrepresented groups, cultural practitioners, emerging talents, academics, students, and members of the public. Follow Instagram.

The AICS is co-convened and co-organized by Dr. Helena Wu, Canada Research Chair in Hong Kong Studies and Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian Studies of the University of British Columbia, and Jimmy Lo, an award-winning filmmaker and film educator who is also a UBC alumni (MFA in Film Production '24).

 


Click here to register for "Vancouver Premiere of KISSING THE GROUND YOU WALKED ON 海鷗來過的房間 and Conversation with Director HONG HENG-FAI 孔慶輝"

https://communityengagement.ubc.ca/uncategorized/ubc-asian-independent-cinema-showcase-kissing-the-ground-you-walked-on/#AICSRegistration


The event is part of the UBC Asian Independent Cinema Showcase 2025 program; and is co-presented by UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative, UBC Connects at Robson Square, UBC Department of Asian Studies, SFU Institute for Transpacific Cultural Research, and Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) X Taiwan Docs.

Special acknowledgements: Ying E Chi