Co-Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Swiss Films, in association with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong, moving image programme Here We Are. Here We Go.: Swiss Documentaries on Adolescence takes place at the Louis Koo Cinema of the Hong Kong Arts Centre from 16 May to 30 August 2021. The world is in the midst of a seismic shift, and the human race is experiencing and learning about life, society and culture anew. In this time of history, we have discovered greater divides among people from different backgrounds much more than we were aware of. How to deal with differences and changes? How can we come to terms with challenges? How do we place ourselves in the world?
“Here We Are. Here We Go.: Swiss Documentaries on Adolescence” celebrates the human spirit for survival and hope by looking into how adolescents and their families from different backgrounds feel, contemplate and tackle difficulties – how they develop their mental stamina and coping mechanism and find their place in the world. People from all walks of life form a universal tension that drives where the world is marching towards. Youngsters are our future, and how adults enlighten them to love and resolve discrepancies is their future. These unusual and intimate stories of growing up from different parts of the world will inspire us about a thing or two.
“Who's Afraid of Alice Miller?” is a story of how the unspeakable trauma of war gets passed down to generations. Martin has experienced a childhood without love – he has been physically and emotionally abused by his father, and has been rejected with coldness by his mother, the world-famous Swiss child psychologist, Alice Miller. How does he overcome the sense of parental rejection that has been traumatising him? “The Journey – A Story of Love” is a portrait of the director's parents in their sixties. While the mother has been paralysed from the neck down for the last 20 years, the father has been devoting his life unflaggingly to care for his wife, helping her break the restrictions of her immobile body. In “Who Are We,” Helena and Jonas are both severely handicapped and have high support needs. Ostracised for being different and having the difficulty of expressing their needs, they put their parents, families, schools and society to the test. “Wake Up on Mars” tells the story of a Kosovor family in Sweden. After their request for asylum has been rejected, two sisters of the family start to develop a mysterious malady, resignation syndrome, until they lie in a vegetative state, as their younger brother wants to move to Mars. On America's isolated and picturesque barrier island of “Sapelo,” two young brothers, JerMarkest (11) and Johnathan (10), explore life and grow up. Accompanied by their adoptive 70-something year old mother, Cornelia, they experience the joy of dicovering the island under her loving care. “Under the Skin” follows three trans teenagers – Soän, Logan and Mixair/Effie Alexandra – along the road towards transition and the conquest of a desired identity. The film tackles delicate gender issues, and allow those directly affected by these matters to express their truths.
Directors of the films will meet the audience via video call at the after-screening talks.
Screening Schedule:
4/2 (Thu) 2:30pm* Who's Afraid of Alice Miller?
5/2 (Fri) 2:30pm* Who Are We?
6/2 (Sat) 3:30pm* Wake Up on Mars
6/2 (Sat) 7:30pm* Sapelo
7/2 (Sun) 2:30pm* The Journey – A Story of Love
7/2 (Sun) 7:30pm* Under the Skin
*With online after-screening talk. Conducted in English.
Tickets are now available on Hong Kong Movie!
Individual tickets: $80 / $64*
*20% off for each purchase of 4 or more standard tickets of each screening.
*20% off discount for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and the minder and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis. Concessionary ticket holders must produce evidence of their identity or age upon admission.
