Ten Years

6^th October 2016 2.45pm at Vue West End
7^th October 2016 9.00pm at Prince Charles Cinema

Ten Years presents a collection of five short films each set in the year 2025 exploring, in varying range of extremity, possible dystopian visions of Hong Kong in the not-too-distant future.

Commencing with a sepia short centred around a political assassination, director Kwok Zune captures the socially complex issue of the Triad gangs. The reliance of individuals on the gang for employment and the covert support of the government ultimately results in citizens becoming victims of a system that chooses not to protect them. Alluding to real life political events and policies, five of Hong Kong’s young directors stand out in this compilation of brave shorts – titled Extras, Season of the End, Dialect, Self-immolator and Local Egg – challenging Hong Kong’s future under the control of Beijing.

The sensitive political issues explored across these five short stories are contrasted with dramatic shots of Hong Kong’s city skylines and its less often seen quiet, rural landscapes, suggesting the insidious far-reaching effects of politics. Ng Ka-leung’s Local Egg captures the issue of agriculture and censorship through the terrifying theme of losing the children of a generation to the government in the form of the Youth Guard. Jevons Au adds a dose of reality with his documentary format, using handheld camerawork and news style bulletins to convey a sense of urgency that makes the audience forget that what we are watching is, in fact, fiction.

Throughout, the theme of the emergence and struggle of a specific Hong Kong identity encapsulates the fear of a loss of self, emphasising the urgent need for emancipation and the creation of an independent future. Cinematic techniques that succeed in effectively blurring the lines between fiction and reality are key in the development and interlinking of all five films, making Ten Years an intricately woven together piece of socially conscious cinema.

Miriam Karmali

Ten Years does not have a UK release date yet.

For further information about the 60^th London Film Festival visit here.

Read more reviews from the festival here.

Watch the trailer for Ten Years here: