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討論「共融工作」與「少數族裔」的身份與標籤 Discussion on “Inclusion work”, the identity and stereotype issue of “Ethnic Minority”

►少數族裔與影像的力量| YMCA x ifva 影像無國界.映後對談 文字足本版 The Power of Ethnic Minorities and Images .YMCA x ifva All About Us.Online Screening X Sharing

節錄二 Part II:討論「共融工作」與「少數族裔」的身份與標籤 Discussion on “Inclusion work”,  the identity and stereotype issue of “Ethnic Minority”

 

► 重溫節目 PROGRAMME ARCHIVE: https://www.facebook.com/FBISRB/videos/3433649020085006/

 

盛虹:不如我們轉換一下討論的方向,談到少數族裔,我們有時會區分「香港人」、「本地人」,問一下大家,第一次接觸少數族裔或少數族裔第一次接觸本地人是怎樣的?在營會或是日常生活也好。例如Kelvin的共融計劃,平常接觸學生或其他工作層面。就例如營會有沒有轉變你們的看法?「原來本地人是這樣的?」「原來少數族裔朋友是這樣的?」有沒有呢?有沒有改變了以前的看法呢?

Harry:我現在住在宿舍裏,那裏有個活動探訪宿舍的宿生,當我分享時,有人會問「你讀IB(國際預科文憑)?」「你在外國留學過?」他們有固定的想法。「你會說廣東話?好厲害!」例如語言上,香港人也會說英文,那我會說廣東話也很合理,也不是太出類拔萃。住在香港也要懂廣東話。有時他們固定的想法,我覺得雙方少了點彼此理解對,他本來有個想法,他們不會問,「他一定讀IB吧!」「他一定去過外國留學。」「一定說英文吧!」這限制了我們,假設了我不懂廣東話,也不懂本地時事和社會現況。

盛虹:你在影像無國界營會裏認識了本地的導師或助理,你們如何相處?有沒有認識多了,改變你的想法?

Harry:比較少,因為我平常都多接觸本地人。

盛虹:因為你在香港長大?

Harry:不,我中一才來香港。在營會之前,我有當過兼職,在快餐店工作。那裏多數都是本地人,與他們相處也很開心,對香港產生歸屬感。在營會裏,我發現香港人很專業,很有想法,做每件事前都細心考慮,也很用心。

 

盛虹:林森,你接觸過這麼多少數族裔的學生,你有甚麼感受?

林森:回想最初接觸所謂少數族裔的年輕人,我最初以為來自巴基斯坦、印度或所謂南亞裔的才是少數族裔,這可能是香港人的既有印象,後來參與了幾屆的計劃或發現,參加的年輕人來自五湖四海,許多不同的族裔、種族,可能有巴基斯坦、印度、越南、泰國、馬來西亞、菲律賓,甚至乎有學生來自日本。以前從未想過除了某些族裔外,還有更小眾的。我也不知道某些族群也是少數族裔,不知道他們也在面對一些困難跟其他族群差不多。擴闊了我許多我對他們生活的想像。剛才有提及,營會之間有不同的場合會一起外出,或到他們的學校接觸他們,知道他們生活的地方如何,去他們家裏,甚至一起吃飯。更多時間和他們相處時,正如Harry所說,他們關心香港,知道社會發生甚麼事,也喜歡香港的文化,他們會去卡拉OK,會聽廣東歌、吃米線、哈哈。以前的既有印象就是,少數族裔只會做自己文化的活動,或專注自己的生活。當我真正花時間去接觸一個人,就看見他真正的生活是如何,更加了解他們時,就發覺彼此其實沒有甚麼分別,都只不過是在同一個地方生活。

盛虹:Kelvin呢?

Kelvin:這一點我感到有點不開心。我們經常聽到少數族裔朋友和青年人說「有機會學到這些真好」「謝謝ifva影像無國界給了機會我們拍片」我就想「為什麼他們要感謝ifva給了機會他們?」作為香港的年輕人,他們可以參加許多活動,有許多機會去學習,但少數族裔朋友可能就有些障礙,令他們無法想拍片就拍片,想去營會就去營會。例如有些少數族裔朋友不懂中文,甚至不懂英文,因為不同的宗教背景要吃不同的食物生活有不同的宗教儀式,這些就成為他們參與活動的障礙或限制。正如Harry所說,他可以參加任何一間青少年中心的活動學拍片,但最後所以教材都是中文,同學都是講中文的。例如有個巴基斯坦的朋友去參加營會,發現那裏沒有清真的食物,他無法融入。這些就是一些限制,我們作為本地人,作為本地社工,我們不理解、不知道或誤解他們了,所以形成了種無形的障礙去阻止他們去參加活動或學習,但他們作為香港的年輕人,撇除種族和宗教文化,也應該是平等的,我年輕時可以做哪些,你年輕時也可以做那些。ifva這計劃到了第十一屆,這是個很好的示範給了其他的機構、朋友和學校,我們作為大人,作為社工或是老師,只要我們做多一點,少數族裔的學生就不要被孤立,因為某些事情被隔絕。當然他們在營會或整個計劃,他們透過影像可以表達自己的感受,也有許多很好的成品,但我更希望他們慢慢可以在其他不同的地方和平台,沒有限制、容易地發揮自己。這是我一點的掙扎。

 

盛虹:許多機構或是這個ifva的計劃想為少數族裔朋友和青年提供一個平台,平日他們可能會缺少某些機會。那關於這方面,你可以多分享一些嗎?

Kelvin:我們經常說共融工作或「少數族裔」工作,其實這個詞是種標籤,代表有大眾和小眾之分,為甚麼要這樣區分呢?但社會還沒有共識去處理這標籤。我覺得共融不是把「香港人」和「非香港人」或是不同國籍的人放在一起,這不是共融。我們經常說的歧視或香港人對少數族裔不禮貌,是誤解所做成的。香港是個多種族多元化的地方,我自己作為華人,不太認識其他地方的文化,許多東西都是我開始這份工作,主力做少數族裔青少年服務才學習,就是這種誤解才做成一面牆。例如我在街上見到一名巴基斯坦裔男生,我不知道他會不會中文,我就默默走過,但其實他是土生土長的。歷史上許多的少數族裔,他們在香港已經到了第四、五代。我覺得共融或是做一些事情令大家互相理解彼此的文化背景。為甚麼要這樣?為甚麼某些宗教要女生包頭?為甚麼有些朋友可以或不能吃某種食物?為甚麼呢?我希望有一個地方可以讓大家理解彼此的想法和生活,這種理解和學習是共融地開始。經驗就是,我期望在不同活動都可以成為橋樑讓大家互相理解、互相學習、互相認識。

盛虹:埼埼有沒有類似的經驗?例如與少數族裔合作

埼埼:我想回應一下他們。我在想,我作為華人在外地,我就變成了少數族裔。如果我們切身處地去想,會更容易明白那種處境。每個人都可以是少數族裔,只視乎我們身處的環境,我們都可以換位思考,我可以更容易去面對與自己不同的人。再引伸到不同的種族…我經常覺得「不同」或「距離」不單只是種族,年齡也有分「青年」和「年長的人」,他們之間是否也有世代的隔膜呢?世代之間是否也有標籤呢?例如青年人就是「暴徒」?是否這樣?又例如我做學生作品,有人覺得學生作品就是次等的,但學生作品珍貴之處不在於技術,而是它又獨特的價值,很純粹,真正代表著年輕人的聲音。它的獨特性是無可比擬的,就像每個人都是獨一無二。聽到他們分享後,我發現歧視或距離是無處不在的。

 

盛虹:我很同意Kelvin說,共融不是把不同的人放在一起,當中是非常複雜的。就影像無國界這計劃而言,剛才我跟負責人聊,他們堅持不混入本地參加者,就是維持初衷,提供機會給少數族裔的朋友。透過拍攝過程、與導師相處、最後的校園放映,呈現一個另類的現實,「平時是那樣,其實我們是這樣」,令大家互相理解之後,希望大家接納彼此的不同,是多元的表現,社會上有不同的人,本來就是多元,如果社會是單向地發展就會不健康。這個平台就讓各位理解彼此的不同,尤其是少數族裔的朋友的想法。最終正如林森所說,他們跟我們都是一樣的,喜歡吃東西,有夢想,會不開心,有愛情的煩惱,都是這樣的,當然會有些宗教等因素。Harry你在香港…你在中一之後就在香港讀書長大?

Harry:對

盛虹:你的經驗裏…你是越南人對吧?

Harry:對

盛虹:但你會認為自己是香港人或是越南人?

Harry:一半一半

盛虹:那你怎樣想?

Harry:我已經在這六年了,回去越南的機會也少,所以我已經失去了越南籍。我都不太開心,我在家不太講話,我妹妹也XX,說廣東話也都不太好,我一直都…怎說呢,我沒有擅長的語言,所以思考有許多限制,思考都不會到很闊,我覺得香港人都可以有很多想法,但我都想不到。因為我沒有自己的語言,我就想不到,我只能用英文去思考,但英文對我都有限制,本身英文對我就有限制,越南話對我都有限制,廣東話對我又有限制,所以做事或表達自己時會有很多障礙

盛虹:無論是語言或身份,你都感到有些迷失?

Harry:是

盛虹:那你本地人或朋友聊天時會聊到這些話題嗎?

Harry:會啊,最近我在宿生探訪,每次大概二十五至三十分鐘,時常都會講不停,有時會介紹越南,聊一下我面對的問題,現在在大學有不同的活動例如上莊。上莊是一件大事,但上莊經常會用中文,如果上莊時他人都說中文,我有無法用中文表達自己,會是一種遺憾,因為語言不通,我才沒法參加活動,蠻不開心的。

盛虹:但你的廣東話也不差啊

Harry:你覺得我廣東話不錯是因為其他少數族裔說得比較差,我說得比較好,如果我與本地人比較,我廣東話就不好了。

盛虹:在宿生探訪,與他人聊天時,他們有沒有更多了解你的生活?

Harry:有啊,他們會說…他們會鼓勵我說語言障礙不是大問題,視乎情況,只要我盡力就可以了,不要被它所限制。

盛虹:最後上莊與否都只視乎你的意願?

Harry:是啊,要說很多話,這一刻我記不起,是要說很多話的,要做四、五十個,許多的活動,我都記不到。

 

盛虹:為甚麼我想談談少數族裔共融服務如何令大家彼此理解呢?我看見有一位學生在網誌上分享,他以前對少數族裔有些不太好的印象,剛才再聊過,他曾在深水埗見到有些南亞裔的朋友很古惑,後來他參加了影像無國界計劃,與少數族裔朋友一起玩、一起拍片,他就發現很有趣,每個人都很獨立,發現了許多新事物,他發覺刻板印象是個循環,困在裏面就走不出來,當他認識和理解他人,他發現每個少數族裔朋友都很獨特,他們都跟我們一樣。大家起初可能不太理解彼此,但又以為自己很理解,這類計劃就成為一個橋樑。這方面大家還有沒有分享?

林森:我覺得更重要的是我們去了解他們的生活,或我們刻板印象的成因。這是真的,在工作坊裏,有些同學不太會時間管理,或是不太投入。例如我約了他們五點鐘,八個人的小組,最後只有兩個人出現。後來更了解他們的想法,發現他們成長中,學校的規範、規矩令他們反感,也因為他們從來都不在主流中,令他們又些另類的反應和習慣。這些習慣有些是負面的,或看似是負面的,但我們該如何理解呢?我們要找出背後的原因。這都很重要。

Kelvin:林森說的我都常掛在嘴邊,在我服務的機構有少數族裔的同事。有時到其他地方開會,有人會問「為何會雇用他們?他們經常遲到的。」其實我的同事也很準時。有時要多角度去看事情,你有十個南亞裔同事都經常遲到,他們都是南亞裔,因此南亞裔都會遲到?其實可以再看深一層。當然有些人真的有遲到習慣,但我們就要再想想為甚麼呢,可能是要顧小孩,可能他們的國家文化是「慢活」一點的,很放鬆的,但香港是個爭分奪秒的地方,用盡所有時間、效率很高,這是香港的價值觀,但他們的成長文化和背景,父母或文化的生活方式就會慢慢來,今天做不完的就明天做。很難說誰對誰錯,在香港很重視守時,上班要守時,我們盡量去解釋我們對紀律的想法和重要性,但同時有嘗試了解他們的想法,為甚麼覺得遲到也無所謂呢。這不是要分對錯,不是要為誰辯解,但每個問題要想深一層,可能我們會得到一個有趣的答案,老闆不接受也好,得到了答案就了解多一點。他們有些工作只需要一星期上班三、四天,甚至有指定下午茶時間,沖沖茶很放鬆的,保持好奇心就會發現很多有趣的事情。

林森:談談剛才一個例子,為甚麼有些人認為深水埗的南亞人特別古惑等等呢?再看想想,可能他們自小就被迫在街頭賺錢維生,或是他們沒辦法好好升學,可能因為他們的中文不太好,有許多的限制令他們無法考到本地水平的中文試,這侷限了他們在街頭賺錢維生,令他們從事我們不喜歡的工作,或是做出我們不喜歡的行為。但為什麼會這樣呢?我們應該找出原因。

盛虹:對,我們可以找出刻板印象的成因,當然背後成因可能很複雜。

林森:譬如說我在工作坊教課才知道,少數族裔的學生有母語做第一語言,到香港後英文就是第二語言,再要學習第三語言中文,而且中文跟母語和英文的語言系統很大差別,語言的概念很不一樣,對比我們,他們學習中文就很辛苦。所以我們要學習帶同理心易地而處,如果我再多學兩個語言也都很困難。

 

盛虹:我們談下一個題目,電影如何賦權。林森作為職業導演,而Harry作為學生導演,透過影像實現你們的想像,拍攝能否提升自我?可不可以呢?

林森:可以的…

盛虹:我看了影像無國界的網誌,有些導師舉了些例子,有些學生畫了一部電話,剪接後下一個鏡頭就把它變成了一部真的電話。而你隊伍的影片中,有一包薯片,有字母從薯片中走出來?(對)導師在網誌說,他一開始覺得這方法很費時,後來他就覺得這是種香港人的思考方式而已,而你們整隊也同意這個創作手法,最終實行後你們也很開心。其實這很簡單…不不不,這個過程中,你們可以實現你們想要的效果已經很開心,而且你們自主下決定,想字母從薯片包裝鑽出來。對你來說,在拍攝的過程中你體驗到自主行嗎?將想法實體化呈現出來的過程是怎樣的?

林森:那個是完成基礎拍攝課程後的實驗,視乎情況,例如廣告要很有活力、很有趣、很輕鬆,視乎目的再做,要先接受各人的意見,聽聽別人的想法再下決定,當然要嘗試,也可能出錯。

盛虹:林森你認為拍片可不可以提升自我?透過創作電影,可不可以賦權予青年朋友?

林森:一定會的。電影是很吸引人的媒介,直接將創作人的想法和信息透過影像或戲劇呈現給觀眾,「這就是我的意思,你聽聽吧」,這過程是種發聲的行動。簡單來說,歷屆影像無國界的作品有些是少數族裔述說自己的故事,但不是所有作品都附有這麼大的意義,可能是純粹的趣味,或是單純展現自己的喜好、另外一面。甚至有同學喜歡印度電影和那舞蹈,他想重現這種風格,過程中也發現自己是有能力去做的,對他們來說也是有力度的賦權

盛虹:埼埼呢?

埼埼:Harry和林森剛才說到製作的過程如何內化影像的力量,創作人享受自己的作品當然不錯,如果與更多的人分享作品,又得到觀眾的回應,那種雙向的迴響對創作人和觀眾更有力量。所以影像無國界計劃也是創作整體的一部分,作品要置於他人眼前,外界才會知道你的想法,溝通的過程中,又會對自身多種看法,所以發表或放映也是重要的一環。

盛虹:自己團隊看和公開放映應該很不同

埼埼:我以前做學生影展時,有些年輕創作人說,他們拍完以後也無法確立創作人的身份,但觀眾在公眾放映問他問題,那種交流令他知道作品已經達到了一定的水平,那迴響原來很大,令他知道他的工作很有意思,確立了他的身份。Harry剛才提到身份認同,這個方法可能使我們更清楚自己是誰,更清楚未來的方向

林森:撇除去年疫情影響,以往在營會或計劃最後的作品都到電影院放映和分享會,有些參與的同學會很感觸,看見自己的作品在電影院播放,用大銀幕和厲害的音響系統觀看自己的作品,這是他們從未能想像的。

盛虹:Kelvin有類似的經驗嗎?

Kelvin:這為他們提供了一個舞台,沒有人指示他們該怎樣走,這舞台是自主的。團隊裏有不同族裔的朋友,可能是自己的同學,也可能是營會認識的新朋友,這個舞台就屬於他們,為自己創作,做自己想做的事,享受樂趣也會,帶出背後的信息、意義也好,最重要的是他們建構了屬於自己的舞台。放映也很重要,正如剛才所說,舞台不是自己看了就算,舞台要展示於人前,別人也要看見自己一手一腳完成的作品。這是否充權(賦權)?可能也是。最重要他人看見他們的努力和想法。今年無法辦放映會,希望用網上的平台與大家分享自己的心血、自己的心聲、自己開心做出來的成品,讓大家都看見。

盛虹:Harry你那時有觀看放映嗎?

Harry:有啊,我那一屆?(對)有的,也有邀請老師來看,然後跟朋友去吃飯,這個過程也很開心,很有意義。

盛虹:有沒有剛剛林森所說的感受?

Harry:第一次有的,”Where are you”已經是第二次了,第一次有的,那時不知道戲院設備如何,非常期待,看完作品後很有成功感。

盛虹:那你現在閒時有沒有拍片?

Harry:有的,像是日常生活的短片,我在宿舍與一群朋友創了個概念,名叫「組」,就是只一群人,第一天進宿舍已經一起玩,我們去玩的時候也會拍片,問一下朋友「你覺得怎樣?」,好像在紀錄生活點滴,拍片可以運用動態、音效等元素,是保存回憶的好辦法。

盛虹:謝謝各位的分享,映後談在此結束,謝謝。

 

Hung:Let’s move on to another topic. There’re labels like “ethnic minorities”, “Hong Kongers” and “locals”. How was your first impression for “ethnic minorities” as a local? And how were “locals” from the perspective of  ethnic minorities? How were they in the camp or in your daily life? And Kelvin, what about inclusion services you’re working on? Did the camp change your thoughts? Like “oh, I never thought about this and that” Did that happen to you? Do you think differently now?

Harry:I’m staying in the university hostel now. They hold visits for hostel residents regularly. When I talked about myself, some asked, “Did you study IB?” “Did you study overseas before?”. They had lots of assumptions. “Oh, you can speak Cantonese. Amazing!”. Speaking of language, it makes so much sense that I speak Cantonese when people in Hong Kong speak English too. It doesn’t make me outstanding. Living in Hong Kong has to understand Cantonese. Sometimes these assumptions stop us from understanding each other. Yes, assumptions stop us from asking questions. “I think he studies IB.” “I think he studied oversea before.” “He can only speak English.” These constrain our thoughts. They assumed I don’t speak Cantonese and I know nothing about the current affairs in the city.

Hung:You met several local artists and assistants in the training camp. How did you guys get along? Any new thoughts after getting to know each other?

Harry:Not very much ‘cause I have many friends who are local.

Hung: You grew up here?

Harry: No, I came here at my F.1. But I had a part-time job in a fast food shop. There were mainly locals. It’s fun to be with them. They’ve made me feel belonged. In the camp, I found Hong Kongers are very professional. They are very creative, thoughtful and detail-minded.

 

Hung:Sum, after meeting so many ethnic minority students, how do you feel about it?

Sum:When I first got in touch with ethnic minority youth, I thought ethnic minorities meant people from Pakistan, India or so-called South Asia. Perhaps these are some of our assumptions. After mentoring for a few years, I found the participants were from all over the world, for example, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines or even Japan. I didn’t know that there are some minorities within the minorities. I didn’t know some ethnicities are recognised as minorities too. And they actually were facing similar difficulties. The programme broadened my imagination on their real life. As mentioned, in between the two camps, we have outdoor shootings or school visits on occasions. I got to know where they live, visited their home or even had dinner with them. We have spent lots of time together. As Harry said, they care about Hong Kong. They know what’s going on in the community. They love local culture, they go to karaoke, they listen to Canton-pop and they like rice noodles!. In the past, I thought ethnic minorities only stick to their own culture and focused on themselves. When I really get to know one of them, I see how his/her real life is. I’ve found that we’re all pretty much the same. We’re all living in the same place after all.

Hung:What about Kelvin?

Kelvin:I was a bit upset somehow. I always heard from my ethnic minority friends say “It’s so kind of you teaching us these.” “Thank you ifva for giving us such an opportunity.” I’d say, “why should you thank us?” Being a youngster in Hong Kong, they could join many activities and could have the opportunities to learn. But there are obstacles stopping them from making films or joining the camps. Some of them may not know Chinese or even English, and perhaps they need a special diet because of their religions. These become obstacles stopping them from taking part in the activities. As Harry said, he could learn film production at any youth centre. But the course only provides Chinese teaching materials, and his classmates speak only chinese too. I got a friend from Pakistan and he joined a camp. He couldn’t enjoy it ‘cause no halal food was available. These are the obstacles. If we, as locals or local social workers, misunderstand or neglect their needs, we create hurdles for those who want to learn. They should be treated equally as a part of Hong Kong regardless of their race and religion. What I can do should be the same with what you can do. It comes to the 11th year of the programme. It’s a very good demonstration for other NGOs and schools. No ethnic minority student will be isolated ever again if we take one step forward as social workers or teachers. They could express their feelings through visual media in the camp and in the whole programme. There were many great films. I hope they can tap into their talents freely on other different platforms in the future. These are some struggles of mine.

 

Hung:Many NGOs including this programme offer a platform for ethnic minorities who have fewer opportunities. Can you elaborate on this?

Kelvin:When it comes to inclusion or “ethnic minorities” services, it’s actually a kind of label, which means that there are “minority” and “majority”. How can we distinguish this two? We don’t have a solid answer for that yet. I think inclusion isn’t about putting “Hong Kong people” and “non-Hong Kong people” together. That’s not inclusion. We realished there’s discrimination against ethnic minorities, and locals might be a bit rude to them. That’s the result of misunderstanding. Hong Kong is a multi-ethnic city of diversity. However, as an ethnic Chinese, I didn’t know much about the other cultures. I didn’t know much until I started this job serving ethnic minority youth service. Misunderstanding creates a wall between “locals” and the “minorities”. Perhaps I see a random Pakistani boy on the street. I don’t know if he can speak Chinese, and I walk by silently. But in fact he’s actually born and raised in Hong Kong. Many ethnic minorities have reached the 4th or 5th generations in Hong Kong. Inclusion is to understand each other’s cultural backgrounds. Why is this? Why do some girls wear headscarves for religious reasons? Why is certain food prohibited? Why? I hope that at some point everyone can understand each other’s thoughts and lives. Inclusion starts with mutual understanding. I, through the activities, hope to connect everyone so that they can understand each other, learn from each other, and know each other.

Hung:Do you have any similar experience, Kiki? Working with ethnic minorities?

Kiki:I’d like to respond to them. I might be a minority somewhere else on the planet being ethnically Chinese. If we put ourselves into the others’ shoes, it’ll be easier to understand the situation. Everyone can be the minority. It depends on the environment we are in. We can get along with people who are different from us more easily when we think from their perspective. When it comes to ethnicities… I feel “differences” or “distances” not only happen within ethnicities, but also generations. Is there a generational gap in between? Are there labels between generations? For example, are young people equal to “thugs”? Is it so? I encountered some people who thought that students’ products were inferior.  But the value of students’ works don’t fall in the techniques, it’s their uniqueness instead. They truly represent the voice of young people. Its uniqueness is unparalleled, just like how unique every human being is. After listened their sharing, I found discrimination or the distance is everywhere.

 

Hung: I agree with Kelvin about inclusion. It’s not about putting different people together. It’s very complicated. I just talked to the project coordinator of “All About Us”. He insisted not to include local participants, just to stay true to their vision and to provide opportunities for ethnic minority youth. Through the filming process, the help from mentors and the final screening at schools, the programme presents an alternative reality. “It is usually like this, but in fact we are like this.”When everyone’s able to understand each other, hopefully everyone will accept each other’s differences. There’ll be diversity and inclusion. The world is full of unique individuals. It’s supposed to be very diverse. If society develops in just one way, that’s not lovely. This platform allows us to understand each other’s differences, especially the thoughts of ethnic minority friends. As Sum said, yet we’re all the same. We all love good food, we have our passions in life, we have emotions, we’re bad at relationships. We’re all like that. Of course there are some other factors like religions. Harry, in Hong Kong… you started studying in Hong Kong at F.1?

Harry:Yes

Hung: In your experience…you’re from Vietnam, right?

Harry:Yes

Hung: But would you consider yourself a Hong Konger or Vietnamese?

Harry:Half and half

Hung:So what do you think?

Harry:I’ve been here for six years, and I rarely traveled back to Vietnam, so I’ve lost my Vietnamese identity. I wasn’t not very happy. I didn’t talk a lot at home. And I don’t speak Cantonese very well. I always…how should I put it? My thoughts are so constrained ‘cause I don’t master any language. Hong Kongers are so creative, but I can’t be like them, ‘cause I don’t have my own language. I can’t think of such new ideas. I can only think in English, but English has limitations on me too. English limits my mind. Vietnamese limits my mind, and Cantonese also limits my mind.So I encounter difficulties expressing myself.

Hung:So both language barrier and identity made you feel lost?

Harry:Yes

Hung:Do you talk about it with locals or your friends?

Harry:Yes, I shared a lot at the hostel resident visits. It’s about 25 to 30 minutes each session. I talked about Vietnam, the difficulties I had. There are lots of activities in uni like joining a student society. It was a big thing. But it’s hard to avoid Chinese in a society. If I can’t express myself when everyone’s using Chinese, I will regret that. It’s so sad I can’t play a part just because of the language barrier.

Hung: But your Cantonese is quite good to me

Harry:It’s good for you ‘cause I speak better Cantonese than my ethnic minority friends. If compared with locals, I wasn’t that good.

Hung:Do the others get to know more about you at the resident visit?

Harry:Yes, they encouraged me saying language barrier isn’t a big deal, don’t let that constrain me as long as I’m willing to make an effort.

Hung:So it’s up to you eventually whether you join the society or not?

Harry:Yes. If so, I need to talk a lot. I can’t be detailed now. It’s about 40 to 50…lots of them. I can’t remember them all.

 

Hung:Why am I so interested in how inclusion services can change us? I saw a student sharing on his blog that he had a bad impression of ethnic minorities in the past. We just talked about it. He saw some South Asians in Sham Shui Po and they seemed very dishonest. He then participated in “All About Us”. It turned out he had a lot of fun making videos with friends from ethnic minorities. Everyone was unique and he discovered many new things. He found stereotypes are like a loop. When he was stuck inside, he couldn’t get out. Knowing and understanding others, he found that every ethnic minority friend is unique and they are just like us. We may not understand each other at first. Or we think we know each other very well. Such a programme offers a platform for all of us. Do you have anything to add?

Lam Sum:I think it’s important to understand their lives, or the causes of the stereotypes. It’s true that some students weren’t very good at time management or not very attentive. For example, I had an appointment with them at 5pm. Only two out of eight showed up in the end. I’ve learnt what their struggle was later on. As they grew up, the school’s norms and rules disgusted them ‘cause they were never in the mainstream. So they had some very special reactions and habits. Some of those are bad habits or seem to be bad, but how do we understand it? We need to find out the reason behind. That’s crucial.

Kelvin:I agreed with Sum so much. I have colleagues from ethnic minorities in the NGO I serve. Some people asked me, “why do you choose to work with them? They’re always late for work.” But in fact my colleagues are very punctual. Sometimes we have to look at things from different points of view. If there are ten South Asians who are always late. So all South Asians never show up on time? We should think carefully. It’s true that some of them love to be late, and we should think about why. Maybe it’s parenting. Maybe their culture is about a more relaxed lifestyle. On the contrary, we rush everything in Hong Kong. It’s our value ​​to utilise every minute and to be highly efficient. But they like to take the time because of their cultural background. Just leave the task for tomorrow if it’s not finished today! It’s hard to say who is right or wrong. Punctuality is important in Hong Kong, and we must show up on time. We try to explain our culture and the importance of discipline to them. But meanwhile we need to understand their thoughts, why it doesn’t matter if  they’re late. It’s not about justifying who’s right or wrong. When we think about everything at a deeper level, we may get some interesting answers. It doesn’t matter if the boss accepts the answer. Still it’s good to know. Some of them only need to go to work 3 or 4 days a week, and they even have a designated tea time. It’s so relaxing. If you stay curious, you’ll see how fun it can be.

Lam Sum:About the example we just mentioned, why South Asians sometimes seem a bit dishonest. When we think about it… some of them were forced to make a living from the street at a very young age. They couldn’t focus on their study. And they didn’t speak Chinese well. Many obstacles stop them from having their Chinese language level qualified. This has made them stay on the street, making a living by doing what we don’t like. Why is it? We need to figure out the reason.

Hung:Yes, we can find out where these stereotypes came from. It can be very complicated.

Lam Sum:In the past before I mentored the students, I didn’t realise ethnic minority students have to learn their mother tongue, English and Chinese as their 2nd and 3rd languages when they come to Hong Kong. And the three languages might be very different. So we need to feel them with empathy. For me personally, it’s so hard to learn new languages too.

 

Hung:Next we’ll talk about how films empower people. Sum and Harry, being directors, do you think filmmaking empowers you when your imagination is visualised?

Lam Sum:I suppose so…

Hung:I wanted the blog on the website of “All About Us”, some mentors mentioned that some participants made a painting of a mobile phone. Then the next shot, it turned into a real phone. And in “Where Are You”, a shot shows some words crawling out for a pack of potato chips, right? (Yes) The mentor said he thought such an effect was time-consuming. But later he found he was limited by Hong Konger’s perspective. And your whole team agreed with the decision. It turned out you liked the outcome so much. It was so simple… no no no. You were very happy by visualising the effect you wanted. And you made a decision according to your will making the words come out from the chips. Do you feel empowered during production? How was it when you visualised your imagination?

Lam Sum:That was an experiment after the basic filming class. It depends on the genre, like TV commercials have to be upbeating, fun and cushy. We need to accept the others’ comments., listen to each other before we make the decision. And we need to experiment first. There can be mistakes.

Hung: Sum do you think making videos can empower people? Can filmmaking empower the youth?

Lam Sum:Surely it can. Film is a really attractive medium. Through visual media or acting, it transfers the message directly to the audience from the creator. “Listen! This is my thought!” It’s about voicing out. Basically creative videos from each year’s students tell the stories of ethnic minorities. But it doesn’t mean each of them carry a complicated message. Some were just for fun, showing what they like or the other side of their life. There were students who were fascinated by Bollywood movies. They wanted to recreate the style and found they were actually capable of doing that. That was a great empowerment.

Hung:What about Kiki?

Kiki:Harry and Sum just talked about how film production can internalise the power of visual media. It’s great that the creators enjoy their own outcome. But it’s even better when the work is shared with the audience, and the audience is able to respond to it. That interaction is very powerful to both the creators and audience. “All About Us” is part of the whole creation. The public acknowledges your thoughts when the outcome is visible. Creators also know more about themselves during the process of communication. So publishing the videos also plays a very crucial part.

Hung:A public screening is very different from a internal screening within the team

Kiki:In the past, some young creators told me they couldn’t confirm their role as creators after the production. However, when the audience asked them questions at the public screening, they realised their works really reached a certain standard. The great resonance gives much meaning to their effort. Harry just talked about identity. We can know more about who we are and the direction in life by such experience.

Lam Sum: Apart from the pandemic last year, we used to hold screenings and discussions in the cinema at the end of the programme. Some participants were very touched. They could never imagine their videos were played on the big screen with professional audio equipment.

Hung:Kelvin, do you have such experience?

Kelvin:It gives the students a platform where no one gives out orders and commands. It’s autonomous. There are friends from different ethnicities in the team. Some are classmates in the same school. Some are new friends met in the camp. The stage belongs to them. They create for themselves, do what they want to do. They have fun, present a meaningful message to the audience. Most importantly, they build their own stage. The screening is very important. As mentioned, it isn’t just for entertaining themselves. The stage has to be visible. The world should see their efforts. Is that empowerment? Possibly. It matters when the world sees their effort and thoughts. We can’t hold a screening this year. We wish we can still share the students’ works, their thoughts on the online platform. Hope it goes well.

Hung:Harry, did you watch the screening?

Harry:Yes, you mean my year? (Yes) Yes, I invited my teachers at school and friends. We enjoyed it a lot. It was very meaningful.

Hung:Did you feel what Sum said?

Harry:Yes when it was the 1st time. “Where Are You” is from the 2nd. When it was my 1st time in the programme, I was so excited about the cinema setting. I felt I really achieved something seeing the screening.

Hung:Do you make videos now?

Harry:Yes, videos like vlogs. My friends from the hostel and I call ourselves “Group”, like a group of people. We’ve been friends since day one. We take videos when we go out asking them like, “how do you feel?” It’s like a vlog. Videos contain elements like motions and audio. It’s a good way to keep our memories.

Hung:Thank you everyone. This is the end of the post-screening discussion. Thank you.

少數族裔青年的無限創意 The creativity of the EM youths:《I am Owais》《Don’t Just Dream Do!》《Where are you? 》

►少數族裔與影像的力量| YMCA x ifva 影像無國界.映後對談 文字足本版 The Power of Ethnic Minorities and Images .YMCA x ifva All About Us.Online Screening X Sharing

節錄一Part I:少數族裔青年的無限創意 The creativity of the EM youths《I am Owais》《Don’t Just Dream Do!》《Where are you? 》

 

► 重溫節目 PROGRAMME ARCHIVE: https://www.facebook.com/FBISRB/videos/3433649020085006/

作品簡介:

《I’m Owais》以劇情和紀錄的手法,跟蹤巴基斯坦高中生Owais看似平凡的一天,但也同時發生了許多事情。從中可見Owais是個很有自信,對自己宗教有堅持的中學生。Owais像是導遊,穿梭不同的生活空間,帶我們去看看他平常做得事、去的地方等等。

《Don’t just dream, do》講述兩兄弟各自的夢想,一個喜歡唱歌,一個喜歡飛躍道(Pakour)。他們追求夢想的經驗很有趣。作品最吸引人的是兩位演員的演出,非常有活力。而且當中的實景拍攝也很精彩,他們倆在城市裏穿梭,與空間的關係很微妙。

《Where Are You》講述兩個好朋友之間,淒慘的愛情故事。男主角因為缺乏自信而無法表現愛意。機會轉眼就過,可不踏出第一步?這就可能會成功。

 

► 對談內容:

盛虹:看完放映之後我們現在進入影後談的環節。歡迎各位嘉賓,我身邊的是埼埼,她曾在平地映社負責策展,亦邀請到旁邊的青年導演Harry,是《Where Are You》的其中一位導演。旁邊就是影像無國界的導師林森。最後就是社工Kelvin,他曾做過許多的共融服務。今天的影後談我們想探討剛才放映的影片。我們一於由Harry開始吧,你曾經參與影像無國界影像無國界的營會,認識到一班導師和組員,而林森是營會的導師,你們可以以分享一下營會的趣事,而Harry當初為何會參加營會呢?

Harry: 中四的時候,學校介紹這計劃給我,當時我覺得很有趣,因為人生從未試過拍片,而作為少數族裔學生以往機會比較少,所以與朋友相約一起參與這個計劃。在營會裏我非常愉快,我能認識到同校和其他學校的朋友,和一班藝術家,我很開心。

 

盛虹:林森可以分享一下作為導師五、六年來的經驗嗎?

林森:讓我們談談整個計劃的流程吧,一般我們會在九月或十月舉行第一個營會,我們會為參與的同學舉行一些基礎拍攝技巧的工作坊,同時讓參與者有機會互相認識,完成第一個營會之後,參與者有大概六個星期,在學校或社區裏一起計劃和完成拍攝。第二個營會大約在十二月時舉行,當中會有一些進階的工作坊和影片放映。大約就是這樣。作為導師有趣的是,我可以接觸到少數族裔的年輕人,更重要的是,導師同樣會長時間留在營地,由早到晚可能在吃早餐的時候已經與年輕人建立關係。我們亦會一起燒烤或參與各種活動。甚至有些朋在深夜不願入睡時,會彈結他和唱歌。有些人亦喜歡打板球打籃球做運動。這好像模糊了我們藝術家導師和學員之間的界線,我們有機會在營會裏可以平等地了解和接觸彼此的生活。這十分有趣。

 

盛虹:Harry你剛才提到你以前拍攝很少接觸影像概念,可否可分享一下你初初接觸影像時有什麼感受?而你在營中如何與隊員想到《Where Are You》的創作概念?

Harry: 第一印象就是很專業。以前在學校拍片時通常會用電話拍攝,或者用一些很基本的拍攝工具。但參與計劃後,導師教我如何運鏡和剪接,非常專業。至於如何得出”where are you”的創作概念,當時情況很有趣,隊員中有兩人都想做演員,他們倆都是男性,我們就以二人作為創作概念,想到拍攝一條愛情短片。

盛虹:我在網上讀到你們導師的文章,指你們本來沒打算拍愛情題材,真有其事?為何有這種轉折?

Harry:我們本身想拍鬼片的。我們請了一位同學當演員,他演技不錯,很懂表達情緒。但我們有兩位的男成員也想參與其中,所以最後改了方向拍愛情題材。也算是事出突然,改變原先計劃。都是純粹… 決定當晚,我在外面吃米線,其他隊員在家,我打電話過去問:「你是不是想做演員?那我們做一個愛情故事吧,你就當演員!」

 

盛虹:好。剛才大家都看了各部作品,就有《Where Are You》開始討論,大家對這部作品有甚麼看法?又有甚麼有趣的地方呢?

埼埼:我覺得驚喜的是,作品的攝影和調度是頗有想法的,則是克制的。許多時候剛接觸拍攝的人容易受流行文化或「即食」的影像影響,所以經常會用大量的罐頭音樂,或者是直接的拍攝角度。”Where are you”驚喜的是,運用音樂運用得比較克制,鏡頭取景非常有想法,能看到這種拍攝手法是有某種的目的和原因。我覺得這是”where are you”的珍貴之處。當我看到它有一個很明確的意圖或想法,我反而更容易去投入它的感情等等。

盛虹:Kelvin或林森有什麼看法?

林森:我覺得題材上十分新鮮,將鬼片恐怖片的題材混合了同性的愛情,尤其是在年輕人這年齡層,一般在本地或年輕人,這種題材是一種禁忌。但我覺得《Where Are You》並不是大膽,而是很自然地去探討這題材,不會消費這議題。觀看影片時,會很純粹地進入兩個角色之間的感情,能夠投入當中。這是難得一見。

Kelvin:我這方面不是專業,但我看到拍攝鬼怪情節時,它會運用鏡頭或特別的特效去指出例如演員的臉畫花了,或是有支筆掉下來,我覺得這些是很純粹、很純真的表現。我們人大了可能會花心思去想用特效或剪接、器材畫面要怎樣配合。但它的特效或效果很純粹,很青春。

Harry:其實拍攝的材料是即場找出來的。例如燈光方面,我用了一個透明文件夾作為濾鏡,再用閃光燈做成很像蠟燭的效果。我們都是使用周圍的物品來做效果。是的。

盛虹:主題曲也是自己作曲的嗎?

Harry:是,自己作的。我們其中一位隊員有些音樂天份,所以他作了首原創曲。那應該是以前的歌,他早就開始作那首歌了,但後來才繼續作成一首完整的歌。

盛虹:那你們拍攝時有沒有甚麼趣事?你們的成員都是男生嗎?

Harry:不是

盛虹:噢,不是全男生,有女生的

Harry:有兩個女生的

盛虹:兩個女生,四個男生?

Harry:一、二、三、四…五個

盛虹:五個男生,兩個女生,五個男生,七個人一隊?那你們拍攝時有沒有甚麼趣事?

Harry:趣事…一開始我也不知道,兩個男主角的其中一位有這種情愫的。我們拍攝完畢,放映當天他哭了,因為他身同感受,他曾喜歡一個人,但那人無法回應,他也無法表達他的感情,最後那人與別人交往,所以他蠻後悔的。他哭了是因為他有不同的角度去看作品。

盛虹:其他同學看完成品以後有甚麼感受?終於完成了

Harry:因為我不重視結果的,而是看整個過程的,整個過程都很開心,我們不是目標為本地工作。例如拍攝遇上阻滯時就玩「狼人」,我們都喜歡「狼人」(哈哈,找找靈感,放鬆一下)是啊,拍攝時有一點空閒都要玩「狼人」,每次見面玩都玩「狼人」,都不是工作至上。

盛虹:所以你也很享受整個製作過程?

Harry:是的,我都認識了許多人,例如藝術家導師阿勺介紹了許多朋友,她有一齣電影,她自己的工作上,邀請我當演員,我都願意幫忙。整個過程都挺好的,認識到很多人。

 

盛虹:那我們談一下另外兩個作品,《I’m Owais》和《Don’t just dream, do》,我們剛才已經看過了,其實它們都有相似的地方,它們都反映了一些內心故事,不論是他們的夢想或是情感。你們有沒有分別觀察到些甚麼?埼埼也曾做過學生電影的策展,你可以說比較一下這些作品,說一下他們的獨特之處?

埼埼:我覺得這計劃的性質挺特別,以我認知,中學生拍攝要麼是校園電視台,或者是工業化的訓練。這計劃的特別之處是,你要表達自己,電影或影像只是個輔助的媒介,而不是你要入行或是做大電影才參加這個計劃,而是要透過影像作為媒介去講自己的故事。就是因為這計劃的性質與眾不同,所以它會影響到學生的成品。我印象最深刻的作品是《Don’t just dream, do》,兩位演員很會表達情感,我很享受他們的演技,雖然看似有點誇張,但他們的能量很突出,他們的性格很突出,所以是很立體的。當中有些比較誇張的戲劇元素,這可能與藝術家導師有關,這三個作品有三位不同的導師去輔助學生拍攝,可能導師本身藝術的長處不同,引領學生不同的特色出現。我覺得《Don’t just dream, do》演員的演技很耀眼。

Kelvin:《I’m Owais》也是很豐富的作品,它的類型很不同,是半記錄的形式,好像跟隨了主角一天,這類紀錄或非敘事的創作形式,不論在少數族裔、學生或整個電影發展,都是種小眾的目光,作品在這裏出現是很珍貴的嘗試。紀錄的元素是《I’m Owais》的特別之處。

盛虹:你們呢?

林森:兩套作品共同的地方,對比其他本地年輕人的作品,兩套作品都很有活力,或是說他們都比較跳脫。他們的分別在於,兩套作品都是由他們的角度去講自己的故事,這與一般的既有印象和我們作為本地人理解少數族裔的出發點很不同。例如《I’m Owais》裏的主角十分有自信,許多時候都很有自信,他在城市裏的生活與我們的印象是有些分別。可能我們會表面地覺得他們日常生活經常會受到歧視,生活會遇上許多困難。雖然他們現實生活中或許有些困難,但他們更在乎怎樣在這地方自在地生活,選擇自己喜歡的東西,再追求自己的夢想例如是運動,這與我們本地人的視角很不一樣。

Kelvin:非常同意。看過這麼多部作品,我非常喜歡《I’m Owais》,上兩年都與ifva辦放映會,正如林森導演所說,社會大眾對少數族裔,特別是巴基斯坦人或南亞裔人士,抱有些想法或偏見,大眾有些既有的想法,許多作品、電影、電視劇都是有華人或「香港人」所寫的,例如他們會以既有的想法去定義南亞裔。他們會怎樣出現在螢幕上呢?可能是黑社會,可能是懲教職員,又例如喬寶寶會只做喜劇。某程度上這代表香港人對少數族裔朋友的看法,《I’m Owais》特別之處在於,它整部作品都很平淡,除了打棒球激動的情節,其他上學、買菜、去清真寺看似很平淡,但他藉著這機會說「我是個在香港的巴基斯坦人,這就是我的生活。」「我喜歡甚麼?我喜歡打板球」「我對我的信仰、宗教生活有堅持」這種表達方式令我們「香港人」從另外一個角度看待少數族裔的朋友,作品以巴基斯坦裔的年輕人的角度去告訴我們他們的生活是怎樣的。作品精彩在於它整體的形式,它邀請了少數族裔的年輕人去拍攝,以影像去說自己的故事。這很重要,也提醒了某些香港人,提醒了我自己,這非常的寶貴。

林森:更難得的是《I’m Owais》用了少數族裔的語言(方言)去講故事,這很罕見。一般我們覺得為了大眾要用主流的語言,就算不是廣東話也要是英文,但它很自信地用了代表它身份的語言。這是個很有力度的製作。

盛虹:這些作品珍貴之處在於給同學一個機會去說「少數族裔」這個標籤。對,「少數族裔」是個標籤。給了他們一個機會去呈現他們想說的事,他們的生活也好,他們的想法也好。這個機會很好。正如Kelvin所說,容讓我們去反思,去發現他們並不像我們所想的,讓我們的想像更豐富。我覺得這是其中一個方法…例如有些時候少數族裔朋友會提及到本地人對他們有點兇,或不太友善,是這樣嗎?對,有時聽到這種故事,當然不是很普遍。但我們可以透過這些媒介,多點溝通,多點理解,希望可以減少這種情況。

— 更多內容請參閱 《映後對談 文字足本版 節錄二》—

Work Description:

“I’m Owais” follows Owais, a Pakistani student for a day in the form of a documentary. It’s ordinary yet extraordinary. Owais is confident and very faithful in his religion. He is like a tour guide and brings to you traveling through different spaces. We can peek at what he does and where he goes every day.

“Don’t Just Dream, Do” tells the stories of two brothers. One loves singing, one loves parkour. Their way to pursue their dreams is so interesting. The actors’ acting was remarkably energetic. The scene was gorgeous too. When they run through the city, it’s so amazing to see how the idea of space is handled.

“Where Are You” is about the tragedy of love between two friends. One couldn’t express his feelings to the opponent because of his lack of confidence. But, like in daily life, you face a lot of chances, so why not just try first. It’s the first step to success.

 

Post-screening discussion:

Hung: It’s time for the post-screening discussion. Welcome everyone. This is Kiki besides me. She’s the curator of Ground up Film Society. This is Harry, one of the directors of “Where Are You”. Next we have Lam Sum, a teaching artist of “All About Us”. Finally we have Kelvin who is a social worker specialising in inclusion services. We’ll talk about the films in screening today. Let’s start with Harry. You were in the “All About Us” training camp and you met a group of artists and students. And Sum was one of the mentors. Can you talk about the fun things therein? What made you join the programme, Harry?

Harry: I knew about it from school when I was in F.4. I found it quite fun ‘cause I never made a film before, especially as an ethnic minority student who has fewer opportunities. So I applied for it with a few friends. I had a lot of fun there. I met friends from different schools and a group of artists. I was happy.

 

Hung: Sum, can you tell us about the experience of being a teaching artist for almost 6 years?

Sum: Let’s start with the structure of the programme. We have the 1st training camp in September or October. The students will have introductory workshops about filming. That’s a chance for them to get to know each other. After the camp, the students will have about 6 weeks for the film production inside their schools or the community. The 2nd camp in December consists of advanced workshops and screenings. That’s it. The fun thing about being a teaching artist is getting to know ethnic minority youths. More importantly, we stayed inside the camp most of the time. From day to night, we developed bondings with the students. We played a lot of games together, and we barbecued together. Some of them played the guitar and sang when they didn’t want to sleep at night. Some loved sports like cricket and basketball. That took away the boundary between the students and us as the mentors. We could equally get to know about each other’s lives. It was fun.

 

Hung: Harry you mentioned you barely heard of visual media before. Please tell us how you feel when you get to know it, and how your team came up with the idea for “Where Are You”.

Harry: My first word was “professionalism”. I only used mobile phones to film in the past, or some other basic filming tools. In the programme, we were taught about camera movements and editing. It was professional. And it was fun when we were thinking of the idea for “Where Are You”. Two of my teammates wanted to act. They’re both boys. Based on their characters, we came up with a romance short film.

Hung: I learnt from your mentor that romance wasn’t the idea initially. Was that true? Why the change?

Harry: We wanted to do a horror film at first. We invited a classmate to be the actor. He was great and very expressive. But two of us really wanted to be in it. So we changed to romance eventually. It was a quite sudden move changing the original plan. It was simply… when we made the decision, I was eating noodles outside and the others were at home. I called them and asked, “You wanna be the actor, don’t you? Then let’s do romance! You’re the actor!”

 

Hung:So we all watched the screening. Shall we start with “Where Are You”? What do you think?

Kiki:I was very surprised by the arrangement and storytelling. It was quite thought-through and somehow reserved. In general, young filmmakers are influenced by pop culture or ready-to-use images, and use loads of canned sound effects with very direct camera angles. “Where Are You” surprised me with a reserved use of sound effects and calculated angles. They were designed for a purpose. That is why “Where Are You” is precious. When I got the reason behind the arrangement, I could be easily absorbed into its emotions.

Hung:What do you think, Kelvin and Sum?

Sum:The topic is very new. It combines horror and LGBT elements. Such a topic was a taboo among the local community and youths. “Where Are You” wasn’t bold to me, but it was gently exploring the topic instead of consuming it. When I was watching the film, I was absorbed into the pure affection between the two characters. That was rare.

Kelvin:Well, I am not an expert. I noticed different angles and special effects were used to capture or highlight things like the actors’ makeup or the movement of props. I think they were simply and pure. Usually we might use fancy effects or editing techniques. But the film’s effects were very pure and refreshing.

Harry:We spontaneously used materials for filming at the scene. For lighting, we used a transparent folder as filters and used flashlights to mock flickering candlelight. We used things from the surroundings.

Hung:Was the theme song original?

Harry:Yes, we wrote it. One of us has a music background and he wrote that song. He started for some while and completed it for the film.

Hung:Any fun things happened at the shooting scene? All of you were boys?

Harry:No

Hung:Oh, there were girls

Harry:Two girls

Hung:Two girls, four boys?

Harry:One, two, three, four…five

Hung:Five boys and two girls, seven in total. So any fun things happened at the scene?

Harry:Fun things…I didn’t know that one of the two actors actually are into boys. When the film was done, he cried at the screening. He crushed on a boy who couldn’t respond. He couldn’t express his feeling. Eventually his crush started dating someone else. He kind of regretted it. He cried because he had his own perspective to look at the film.

Hung:How did the others feel about seeing the video? It was finally done.

Harry:We didn’t value the result much, we looked more at the process instead. It was really fun. We weren’t task-oriented. When we had hiccups, we played board games. We loved board games (Haha, to brainstorm and relax) Yes, we plays board games even at breaks. We played every time we met. We weren’t task-oriented.

Hung:So you enjoyed the entire production?

Harry:Yes, I met a lot of people. Cheuk-man introduced lots of friends to me. She invited me to be a side-actor for her own project. I went to help out. It was nice and I met many new friends.

 

Hung:Let’s talk about the other two works, “I’m Owais” and “Don’t Just Dream, Do”. We’ve watched them and found they have things in common. They’re both telling some stories in their minds. They were about someone’s dreams and emotions. What did you observe? Kiki, you worked as a curator for student video screening. Can you compare these works and tell us what is special in them?

Kiki:The nature of the whole programme is remarkable. In general, students make videos for the campus radio or industrial training. “All About Us” asks the students to express themselves. Films and visual media are just an aid and a medium. They didn’t do it for the market or a broadbuster. They were telling their stories through visual media as the medium. The nature of the programme is so different and affects the outcome from the students. “Don’t Just Dream, Do” was very unforgettable. The two actors were very expressive. I enjoyed their acting so much. Though it looked a bit exaggerated, I love their over-the-top energy and personalities. It was very solid. The over-the-top drama elements might come from their mentor. Three different mentors were assigned to the groups. The expertises of the artists might lead to different qualities of the outcomes. I think the actors in “Don’t Just Dream, Do” really stood out.

Kelvin:“I’m Owais” is very rich in flavour too. The genre is different. It is a semi-documentary as if we follow the main character for a whole day. Such a non-storytelling documentary isn’t in the mainstream among ethnic minority students or even the industry. It was a very good attempt. That’s why the film is so special.

Hung:What about you guys?

Sum:Compared to the other works by local students, both of them are filled with energy. They are very creative. Their differences fall in how the students tell the stories from their point of view, which is very different from how locals see them as ethnic minorities. Owais in the video was very confident, very confident most of the time. His life in the city differed from our stereotypes. We might think they faced discrimination all the time, or other difficulties. Though they’re not sailing all way through, they focus on how they can live freely, how they pick up things they like, how they pursue their dreams like sports. That’s not the same from our perspectives as locals.

Kelvin:I totally agree. I love “I’m Owais” so much after the screening. We’ve collaborated with ifva for screening since 2018. As Sum mentioned, the public holds certain biases or stereotypes against ethnic minorities especially Pakistanis or South Asians. They perceive the minorities in some ways. Many TV shows or films in pop culture were produced by ethnic Chinese or “Hong Kongers”. They define ethnic minorities in some specific ways. How do they appear in pop culture? Perhaps they were triad members or CSD officers, or even comedians like Q Bobo. It represents how Hong Kongers perceive ethnic minorities. “I’m Owais” was so special with its calmness. Apart from Owais’s passion for baseball, everything else, for example, school life, grocery shopping and worships at mosque, was so ordinary. By all these, he declares, “This is my life. I’m a Pakistani who lives in Hong Kong.” “My passion? I love cricket.” “I have great faith in my religion.” This makes us look at ethnic minorities from a different perspective. The film offers an alternative from a Pakistani teenager’s point of view. It is amazing when ethnic minority students tell their own stories with creative media as a medium. That’s important. It’s a reminder for Hong Konger, also for myself. That needs to be recognised.

Sum:It’s also amazing when a Pakistani language (dialect) was used to tell the story. That’s very rare. Mainstream languages are usually preferred in the industry. It’s either Cantonese or English. But they used their mother tongue with pride. It’s really powerful.

Hung:These films are so good ‘cause the participants could discuss the label “ethnic minorities”. Yes, “ethnic minorities” is a label. Creative media allowed them to speak out loud about their lives or thoughts. It was a very good opportunity. Like what Kelvin said, their works made us reflect on the labels. Ethnic minorities aren’t like what we thought they were. The films enriched our mind and imagination. It can be a solution. For example, some of my ethnic minority friends expressed that locals sometimes were rude to them, not very friendly. Is that true? I heard of these occasionally, of course not very often. Perhaps we can avoid such things by communication and mutual understanding.

 

— To read more, please go to Part II —

看見與被看見 To see and to be seen

文︰楊兩全,影像無國界藝術家導師 | Text: Yeung Leung-chuen, All About Us Teaching Artist

這一年All About Us 的五段創作短片中,有三條以紀錄片作為表達形式(其中《Bibi, the Ghost》是仿紀錄片),兩條則是劇情短片。半數作品為紀錄片,頗出我意料之外的。筆者是這屆All About Us 的創作導師之一,過往也曾在不同中學或社區中心當短片創作導師,學員是香港本地青年,他們幾近本能地會以劇情短片作為他們的創作方向,甚少選擇紀錄片此一表現形式。這傾向並不令人意外,畢竟我們日常接觸的影像養份,均以電影、電視劇或網絡短片為主。因此,我對這屆All About Us 出現佔半的紀錄片作品感到驚喜及好奇。

Screen Shot 2020-01-08 at 11.35.36 pm

《US》All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

或許與教學內容有關(這屆All About Us的創作營有專門教授「紀錄片」的環節,當中包括訪問對談技巧等),但創作者本身想要「被看見」這一點或許也是一個不應被忽視的要素。與一般紀錄片導演尋找想要紀錄的「他者」不同,他們的紀錄對象就是身邊的團隊成員。換言之,他們是有被訪的自覺,是自我紀錄,是一個自我揭露的過程。就如《US》,講述團隊裡六人的生活與夢想,當中有獨特南亞文化特色的板球夢,也有如一般香港本地青年無異的廚師夢、籃球夢、科學夢等等。創作者有意識地呈現自己的生活、自己的夢想,彷彿是一幅集體自畫像,想讓人「看見」自己。又如《Loving Your Life》,這短片更是觸及Windelyn的內心世界,呈現她因家庭所遭受的傷痛以及在同伴朋友間經歷的愛,內容相當私密與真實,是一次坦誠的剖白。

bibi_3

《Bibi, the Ghost》All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

《Bibi, the Ghost》是一條仿紀錄片,訪問一隻鬼的生活的「紀錄片」,風格幽默風趣、創意令人眼前一亮。鬼,作為相對於人類的小眾,有著獨特的生活模式與文化,經常不被人類所理解,承受被邊緣化的孤獨。我不肯定這是不是創作者有意識的藝術處理,但這不期然令人解讀成少數族裔的自仿。以「鬼」作喻,訴說「鬼」的故事,也是訴說自己作為少數族裔的故事和心聲。

另外兩條是劇情短片《Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever》及《Not So Ever After》。相對《US》與《Loving Your Life》這類將自己以紀錄片方式直接呈現;創作者的影子在劇情短片中,通常都隱藏在故事背後,但我們還是可以從這些作品中窺見創作者的部分面貌。

在《Not So Ever After》中,貧窮的女主角、被同學欺負的校園生活、未能結果的青春愛情……這些元素都不時出現在過往All About Us的作品,也是香港本地學生作品的常見題材,畢竟這些事情很可能就是他們的日常生活,比較容易作為素材轉化成創作。至於《Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever》,從劇名的自嘲就可看出端倪——這條短片仿拍韓劇,以誇張的手法突出那些韓劇「經典」情節,藉此加以反諷,拍出一條饒有趣味的喜劇。由此可以想像,這短片的創作者與很多香港本地、以至世界各地的青年一樣,深受韓流文化影響,才會拍出這條戲仿之作。

創作本身就是一種「被看見」的過程。不論是帶有自覺的自我展示、抑或是透過比喻、故事轉化,我們都能從作品中看見創作者。我慶幸能透過這些作品,認識、了解他們的世界,更慶幸看見他們願意被看見,甚至想被看見。這也是「影像無國界」可貴的地方。

 

Among the five creative short films for this year’s All About Us project, three are documentaries (of which “Bibi, the Ghost” is a mockumentary), and two are short dramas. I am one of the teaching artists for this year’s project and the fact that over half of the works are documentaries is quite beyond my expectation.  I have teached creative short film production in various secondary schools and community centres where participants are local Hong Kong youths. Instead of documentary, they usually instinctively choose to present their creation in the form of short drama. Their preference is not surprising, after all, movies, TV dramas or online short videos are the main kinds of moving image we received in our everyday lives. Therefore, I felt surprised and curious when half of the works for this year’s All About Us are documentaries.

It may be a result of the set of teaching content (There was a special session on documentary in this year’s creative camp which includes interviewing skills); however, an important element which should not be overlooked is the wish of “to be seen” from the creators. Unlike general documentaries that the directors are trying to record the Others, the targets for recording in these short films are the creators’ team members around. They are, in other words, aware of being interviewed which made the filming a self-documenting and self-disclosing process. “US” describe the lives and dreams of the six team members: some dreams to be a cricket player which certainly is of unique Southeast cultural characteristics, others share common dreams as local Hong Kong youths such as to be a chef, a basketball player or a scientist.  The filmmakers consciously present their own lives and dreams as if they are making a collective self-portrait, letting themselves to be “visible”. Another short film “Loving Your Life” that touches on Windelyn’s inner world, depicting the pain she suffered because of her family and the affection she experienced among her friends. With these private yet genuine content, the film is an honest confession to the audience.

"Loving Your Life" All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

“Loving Your Life” All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

Humorous, and dazzlingly creative, “Bibi, the Ghost” is a mockumentary that mimics the life of a ghost. Ghosts, as a niche relative to humans, have unique lifestyles and culture.  Often they are misunderstood by humans and suffer the loneliness of being marginalised. I am not certain if it is a conscious artistic treatment by the creators, yet I can’t help interpreting the treatment as a self-imitation of ethnic minorities. With “ghost” as a metaphor, telling a “ghost” story is actually telling the creators’ own story and feeling as an ethnic minority.

Other than documentaries, the two short dramas are “Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever” and “Not So Ever After”. Comparing to “US” and “Loving Your Life” which directly portrayed themselves in the form of a documentary, creators of these short dramas usually hide their themselves behind the story, yet we can still glimpse some aspects of the creators.

"Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever" All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

“Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever” All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

“Not So Ever After” depicted a girl who faced difficulties in all aspects of life: poverty, school life full of bullies by classmates, a puppy love that bears no fruit … all these elements have frequently been found in past works All About Us, which are also common motifs in videos made by local Hong Kong students.  After all, these issues are likely to happen in their daily lives, so it is easier to be put into their creation. The self-mockery in the title “Not Even Close to Any K-Drama Ever” hints that the film is copying a Korean drama. By featuring “classic” plots in Korean dramas with exaggeration, it makes a sarcastic comedy full of fun. By viewing the video, we can simply imagine how Korean culture deeply influenced not only the creation team of this short film, but also many young people in Hong Kong and the rest of the world.

"Not So Ever After" All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

“Not So Ever After” All About Us 2019/20 Student Creative Film

Creation in itself is a process of “being seen”. Be it a self-conscious display of oneself, a metaphor or a story, we can see the creator in the work. I am delighted to know and understand their world through these works and are more delighted to realise that they are willing to be seen, and even longing to be seen, which is also the value of the project “All About Us”.

香港電影與傳播媒體的「多元與包容」 “Inclusion Rider”… How’s it in Hong Kong Film and Media Industry?

文︰劉嘉汶,影像無國界教學助理實習生 (嶺南大學視覺研究系學生) |
Text: Carmen Lau Ka-man, Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us (Student of Visual Studies Department, Lingnan University)

“I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen, Inclusion Rider.” Frances McDormand closed her Oscar speech with these two simple words.

Frances McDormand at Oscar 2018 called out the industry for "inclusive riders". Photo Source: The New York Times

Frances McDormand at Oscar 2018 called out the industry for “inclusion riders”. Photo Source: The New York Times

The certain level of diversity in terms of cast and crew on film is unsatisfied and failed to meet the demand yet, which leads back to one of the rooting factors of this issue, which is lack of integration between ethnic minority and dominated majority.

Speaking of the ethnic minority, what is the first group of a race that comes up on your mind? Is it the Southeast Asian people? The ethnic minority doesn’t confine to a single group of races, like Caucasoid, Negroid, and Chinese, all of us could be an ethnic minority, as long as we are differ in race, national or cultural origin from the dominant population.

Carmen Lau Ka Man. Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us 2019/20

Carmen Lau Ka Man. Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us 2019/20

 

In the past, an ethnic minority in Hong Kong faced a different type of discrimination or even abuse. How ridiculous is it? A place claimed as advanced and civilized, can barely embrace the races different from us. It is worth-considering if they change their name, would the situation be different? Seemingly, the answer is certain and not reasonable to deprive their identity. The issue is beyond what has mentioned above, are the exclusivity and perceived stereotype that leads to an insufficient understanding of them.

The complexity of “marginalized audience identity” posed the ethnic minority in a marginal position to confront the mainstream’s mass media.

When we walk through the history of Hong Kong film, Hongkonger, able-bodied role keeps the norm on screen; Southeast Asian people have a relatively low representation and do not commonly show on the screen. Even, if they do, their roles are usually related to clumsy, demonized and absurd characters. The mass media and local news often render the negative image of south Asian people in Hong Kong, the industry adapted and consumed the mainstream idea to shape their character, which in a sense, consolidated the preconceived image of them.

Only very few have achieved the tension of the successful ethnic minorities’ image. For example, Gill Mohindepaul Singh (喬寶寶), Peter Gana (陳彼德) and Ricky Chan (陳振華) are some of the few successful actors entering the film industry. Interestingly, the film offers a one-way channel to them to expose the everyday life of the dominated population, but, it did not have a thorough chance to count them in. Perhaps, it implies that we did not walk in their shoes to make the stories and bear in mind the stereotypes. Additionally, Mohammad Kashif (巫加沙), one of the actors of Testimony (山下的證詞), he indicates in an interview that although he is fluent in speaking and listening to Cantonese, the level of reading and writing is not that good, so he spent more time to read the script. This suggested that language hindered them to communicate with the local Hongkongers,  as they have not been taught by the mainstream Cantonese.

These signs reveal the deficiency of understanding and demand to strengthen the rising voice and insight from them.

Facing this situation, it is vital to have their voice to show their stories and thoughts. In a way, to let the viewers understand and listen to them. In the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, several compelling stories from the different regions come together and give a diversity of bold and reflective messages about our ever-changing society and oneself. For instants, “I’m Not Your F***king Stereotype”, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7eg9R3olqQ) it is about a Muslim girl, Maryam who moved to Thailand has become the prey to racism in her school and had to deal with the stereotype gaze from majority’s religion of other students in school, which made her experience the identity crisis and detest her birthdate, name and even region. This is a critical film presenting their real though and struggle in life, which filled up the cultural gap between Buddhists and Muslims

The program paves a good method to let them express and communicate in a new approach. While the short film reminds me of a multimedia project containing the style of the documentary by Jianne Soriano, a student who is a Hong Kong-born Filipino, it calls “Own Voices: Breaking Stereotypes” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBRIBMcqMlI). The video tells the first-hand stories from four different ethnic minority members of our society.

According to Soriano, “Growing up in Hong Kong I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me on TV or in the wider media.”

She hopes to build a bridge of connection and understanding between the Chinese counterparts and the ethnic minority. Meanwhile, examining the stereotype helps to break the negative image. Instead of, passively showcasing the preconceived perspective, Soriano took the initiative to start a conversation and an interaction to depart from the traditional stereotypes. Besides that, some of them took a further step to create a YouTube, The HBA by a group of three ethnic minority members and film their videos. One of the creators mentioned that the youngster is not into television, so they can only go for the online platform to speak for themselves. The Intertextuality of the video allows the viewers to leave comments on their channel and have an idea that how they see Hongkonger.

Taking the initiative by them undoubtedly eases the preconceived conception and has a more comprehensive understanding of them. Is it enough? Recently, the movie “Still Human” (淪落人)  resounds for the Filipino in Hong Kong, the story tells about the relationship between a paralyzed man and a maid. Unlike what the mainstream has labeled the Filipinos, low education and no culture. The film shows the sincerity of human being, simple yet delicate. They gradually build a deep mutual trust, while they exude a touch of sorrow in the face of the destiny of life. This creation has spared no effort to invoke the local spirit and identity of Hongkonger, it reshapes the image of a domestic helper through the exquisite and genuine act.

The ethnic minority is one of the important parts of Hong Kong’s population. They are diverse in culture, and the general public has put their attention to those groups in recent years. Despite the difficulties and discrimination that they have suffered, many ethnic minorities are striving to survive in their way and merging themselves into society. Hence, the general public does not have a meaningful understanding of them and they have a bare chance to channel personal contact and interaction with them. While the continuing shaping of negative ethnic minority images through the mass media in the past, which has deepened the cultural stereotypes. Therefore, the development of new media has opened up opportunities to let us understand and know more. The mainstream has gradually shifted their attitude towards the ethnic minority like the recent film about them. Meanwhile, it is a two-way communication despite the language barrier.

Our (Film & Media Industry) hard work is significant to achieve social integration.

Carmen Lau. Shooting with Ethnic Minorities Youth during All About Us Creative Camp 2019/20.

Carmen Lau. Shooting with Ethnic Minorities Youth during All About Us Creative Camp 2019/20.

Film and media have a close connection to the development of ethnic minorities, in the past, they established a vivid and unauthentic appearance about them, and to have a better understanding, it is good to showcase their bits and pieces like the differential culture and lifestyle. Perhaps, in the future, cultivating social diversity is necessary to create two-way communication from different sides and have a well-rounded policy about media and film, like what Frances McDormand has advocated.

(只提供英文版本)

共同創作,讓我明白「歧視」這一回事… Understanding the root of discrimination through the video production with ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

文︰劉嘉然,影像無國界實習教學助理 | Text: Lau Ka-yin, Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us

“To be honest, before this program, I was like the typical Hongkongers, I don’t like them……”

Lau, Ka Yin. Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us 2019/20.

Lau, Ka Yin. Teaching Assistant Intern of All About Us 2019/20.

As we all know, ethnic minorities in Hong Kong are discriminated against by the locals. Because of their race, they suffer a lot in our society. To be honest, before this program, I was like the typical Hongkongers, I don’t like them. But after knowing more about them, I found that they are not as bad as we thought.

The standard images of ethnic minorities to the locals in Hong Kong are selfish, greedy, cunning, etc. People with these stereotypes will refuse to get in touch with them, which let people harder to understand their situation and who they are. Therefore, I think that the root of discrimination in Hong Kong is that people do not know much about them.

In this program, I was required to produce a video with a group of ethnic minority children within several weeks, in between the production, I had a camp with those children for 3 days. After our production, different groups will have their movie handed in, and we had a screening day of those movies.

“Each section of the program allows me to know more about them.”

yin003

Yin, during All About Us Creative Camp 19/20, shooting with the participants

In the first event, which is the camp, I lived with them and produced a short video clip with them. I found that they are passionate and creative, and unlike the stereotypes in our minds. They are willing to pick up the responsibilities and willing to work as a team. They are fun, naive and cute. They always come up with many creative ideas.

The most memorable part in these few days is an activity called “Act like Charlie Chaplin”, each group of people has to make a video in the style of Charlie Chaplin, and the plots were decided by the children. At the very beginning of the activity, the children actively gave out their ideas and divided their job on their own, and they are just like us, eager to learn, to participate in activities.

Maybe sometimes they might act a bit odd to some people, like too aggressive to conduct their opinions to others, but the reason why they are behaving like that is that they want attention from people. As they had always been omitted by others in their life, and thus, they are eager to show themselves to others. If people do not know much about their inner mind or background, perhaps they might act like too offense and thus refusing to communicate to them but also label them as the “rude”. And it’s a cycle that once people got a stereotype on them, they will then not get in touch with them, and knowing nothing about them, and then the stereotype continuous.

During the production period, I can observe them in detail as teaching assistants. Director, me and the other teaching assistant suggest they do whatever they want, to express their real side through the project. In this way, we can more or less know more about their mind through their theme, most of the themes are about themselves, and a story about their life, their life goals, and also some of the struggles that they faced during chasing their dream, they wanted to be understood.

“And it’s a cycle that once people got a stereotype on them, they will then not get in touch with them, and knowing nothing about them, and then the stereotype continuous…”

yin005

Yin, teaching participants about camera movement during All About Us Creative Camp 19/20

Video making as one form of art, and in this program, it served one function of act, which is to express. Through expression, we can more easily understand their inner mind, meanwhile, cause some of the feelings that we don’t know how to express in words. From the theme of the video, the camera movement, to the script, those can all reflect the feeling of the producer. Therefore, though the production, we can know more about them.

The dreams to them seem even harder to achieve than ours because the opportunities for them to achieve their dream is lessened by many factors, like languages and social status. For my team, the movie is about the life of one of the groupmate who was raised in a broken family and living in a subdivided unit. Poverty and the family situation keep her out of getting advanced education or leisures, which let her even harder to achieve her dream. As a typical local living in Hong Kong, I once thought that ethnic minorities contribute nothing to our society. If I did not attend this program, I would not have seen their works and get along with them, I think I will not know much about their situation, and limitations. But now, I will more or less understand their behavior and willing to get along with them.

“Indeed, I am not an expert on the cultural policy, but what my experience taught me is no need to label them. Let them be part of our society, not in their ethnic minorities circle…”

yin006

Yin with his group of participants in All About Us Creative Camp

To conclude, the root of the discrimination in Hong Kong is people don’t understand them. To eliminate the root, I think education is not enough. Because if we are taught not to discriminate against the ethnic minorities, the action itself is already labeling them as differentiated from us. People will then take more care to them, then the action itself is already discrimination to them.

Indeed, I am not an expert on the cultural policy, but what my experience taught me is no need to label them. Let them be part of our society, not in their ethnic minorities circle. Labeling them as differentiation is the first step of discrimination. The more we know about them, the less discrimination will occur in the future.

(只提供英文版本)

 

何不變回一個孩子Think Young, Think Adventurous – Why Not?

文︰黃勺嫚,影像無國界導師 | Text: Wong Cheuk-man, Teaching Artist of All About Us

英譯︰黃澄楓 | English Translation: Janice Wong

這是我第一次在「影像無國界」裡擔任導師。我們組的同學分成中四及中五兩個級別,有來自菲律賓的Marcus、Bryan和Jonathan、尼泊爾的Sami、Madhavi和Jackey、越南的Mahn、巴基斯坦的Ahmed、孟加拉的Fardin和擔任Student Mentor的香港學生Corn,而我也有半個泰國人的身份。所以我們組可能是混雜了最多不同族裔的一組。

首次擔任「影像無國界」導師的Cheuk Teaching Artist, Cheuk, in the camp

首次擔任「影像無國界」導師的Cheuk
Teaching Artist, Cheuk, in the camp

剛開始的時侯,我曾擔心大家會因種族、文化、語言、年齡不同,而無法溝通。想到電影製作要求高度的合作精神,讓我更擔心各種差異會令我們無法合作。可是,在第一個訓練營中,已看到他們懂得分工合作,讓各人發揮所長,同時互補不足。穩重冷靜的Jackey 和組織能力強的Manh 主要負責導演及攝影工作,喜歡攝影但沒有經驗的Fardin則從旁協助。心思縝密、情感豐富的Bryan負責編劇和做演員。細心的Sami、愛化妝的Madhavi和愛音樂藝術的Marcus則負責美術道具。外表嚴肅但表演滑稽的Jonathan負責做演員。充滿怪點子的Ahmed周不時就各方面提意見。我發現所謂因有文化差異便合作不來,是「大人」才有的恐懼。

 

在第一個訓練營中,我記得有一個鏡頭是用Stop Motion 拍攝字母轉動,Ahmed提議字母從一包薯片旋轉狀地爬出來。當下我的反應是太複雜、太花時間。但大家也喜歡Ahmed的建議,所以我們還是按著他的想法來拍,結果大家也很滿意。我才發現他們很純粹,喜歡拍什麼便直接去拍,而「大人」則太成熟,太懂得去考慮時間和資源的問題,往往卻限制了自己或別人去做真正喜歡的事情。

在第二個訓練營中,我們要用三十六小時製作一段短片。我們原笑說不如用一小時拍完,然後用餘下的時間去玩「狼人」。結果,大家還是同樣認真拍攝。當然,去到第二個訓練營,大家開始出現疲態,加上製作時間短促,偶爾也曝露了真性情。但到了後期製作,大家仍然齊心協力完成。Jackey 深夜在找聲效、討論片名,Manh剪接到早上六時,Marcus 到了早上七時還在錄音樂,直至最後一分鐘Bryan和我還在瘋狂上字幕。放映當日,放我們組的作品時,因器材問題,放出來是黑矇矇一片,什麼也看不到。當時,他們有點激動,甚至質問我為什麼不要求終止放映。然而,我看見他們因放映的聲畫效果不好而激動的表情,一直暗喜,忘了處理器材的問題。對了,在乎自己的作品就會如此激動。幸好,最後也解決了放映的問題,而短片重放一次才能安撫這群小伙子。

與學生一同拍攝中的Cheuk Cheuk is shooting with her studetns

與學生一同拍攝中的Cheuk
Cheuk is shooting with her studetns

在兩個訓練營中、籌備十分鐘短片的時侯,我記得他們齊聲說不拍「Romance」類型的題材。最後,他們卻拍了一個愛情故事,而且有同性戀元素。他們一開始並沒打算做同性戀題材,因為組內只有兩個男生想做演員,結果便誤打誤撞寫了一個「同性戀」故事。我故作保守,試探他們會否擔心同性戀題材太敏感,他們卻自信地說這是關於愛的故事,而不是關於性別。再次說明「大人」總是愛標籤、為事情定性。在製作階段,我們連續幾天留校拍攝至十時,翌日早上七時在大學開始拍攝,中午又在巴士上拍攝,下午至傍晚在屋景拍攝…..他們當然是疲倦的,但卻從沒放棄,不同崗位互相接力。最後,Marcus、Bryan還找了同學Claire,一起為短片寫主題曲,配了數段音樂。我永遠都記得,他們初次聽到自己的聲音和樂器錄下來時的樣子,看到作品剪接完成的樣子。他們從沒想到自己竟被自己的故事感動,有人想哭,有人哭了,才發現作品最後夠不夠好,其實一點也不重要,能夠感動自己已經很不容易了。

我想能夠認識他們是一件幸運的事。從沒想像過自己會跟一群少數族裔的學生一起吃譚仔,去海洋公園玩過山車,在菲律賓人家中的露台彈結他。對,他們不只是一群「少數族裔」的學生,他們也有各自的夢想和愛恨。回想起來,我跟他們一樣,在十六、十七歲的時侯開始學習影像創作。與其說我是一個導師,我更認為他們是我的朋友,讓我回到十六、十七歲時的心境,提醒我們拍電影,做任何事情也好,保持率真,才最重要。

 

This is my first time being a Teaching Artist of All About Us. My group of form 4 and 5 students came from many ethnicities: Marcus, Bryan and Jonathan from the Philippines, Sami, Madhavi and Jackey from Nepal, Mahn from Vietnam, Ahmed from Pakistan, Fardin from Bangladesh,  Student Mentor Corn from Hong Kong  , and me who is half Thai. We are probably the most diverse group.

At first, I was worried. I was afraid the different ethnicities, cultures, languages and ages would become barriers in communication, threatening the high team spirit that filmmaking requires. However, during our first training camp, everyone collaborated well. They let their talents shine and made up where others fell short. Jackey the Calm and Manh the Organised took helm of directing and shooting, while the Interested yet Inexperienced Fardin helped from the side. Bryan was careful and sensitive, so he was in charge of the script and acting. Thoughtful Sami, beauty guru Madhavi and music art lover Marcus handled the props. Serious-looking yet humorous Jonathan was also an actor. Ahmed and his whimsical mind helped by sharing thoughts throughout the production. To them, cultural diversity isn’t a roadblock – it is a fear only we adults are vulnerable to.

In the first camp, we used stop motion to create spinning alphabets. Ahmed suggested making the letters crawl out of a bag of chips, which I thought was too complicated and time-consuming. However, everyone loved his idea. So we made it happen, and it was incredibly satisfying. Their goals are pure: they film what they want to film. Contrarily, adults are often stuck on issues like time and resources, holding us back from pursuing what we truly like.

Cheuk不斷從中分享及指導拍攝短片的想法與感受 Cheuk is keen on sharing and guiding students on the film production in the camp

Cheuk不斷從中分享及指導拍攝短片的想法與感受 Cheuk is keen on sharing and guiding students on the film production in the camp

In our second camp, we had only 36 hours to create a short film. We joked about allocating one hour to the film, then the rest playing Werewolf. But when it came down to business, everyone was serious. The group was obviously worn out by the second camp, and the tight schedule put everyone under stress. Still, they were determined to finish it all together, even post production. Jackey stayed up looking for audio effects and coming up with a title. Manh edited till 6 in the morning while Marcus recorded the soundtrack till 7. Me and Bryan worked tirelessly on subtitles until the last minute. On the day of showing, our group ran into some technical difficulties. Instead of showing their hard work, the screen was pitch black. They panicked, asking why I didn’t stop the viewing. In fact, I was too proud of them – they panicked because they cared about their work – so proud I forgot about the situation. Luckily, the issue was fixed soon. We replayed their film, and they were finally happy.

During the two camps in preparation of their 10-minute short film, they all refused to write a romance at first. In the end, they made a love story about two boys. It wasn’t planned – the two leads just happened to be boys, and the story wrote itself. I feigned doubt, asking if the theme was too sensitive. Without hesitation, they told me gender was irrelevant in a story about love. They once again proved adults were too obsessed with labels and definitions. During the production, there were days we stayed on campus till 10 at night and came back at 7 in the morning. We spent afternoons filming on buses, then moving on to indoor scenes. They were exhausted, of course, but nobody gave up. They took turns on set, making sure everyone got a chance to rest. At the end, Marcus and Bryan even asked their classmate Claire to write the theme song and soundtrack. I will always remember the first time they heard their own voices and music from the edited film. They didn’t expect to be moved by their own story. Some were holding back tears, and others were already crying. They realised what mattered wasn’t whether this piece was professional or not – it moved them, and that was good enough.

I’m so lucky to meet them. I never thought I would get to spend time with a group of ethnic minority students. We shared noodles at Tam Jai, went to Ocean Park and played guitar on the balcony of a Filipino family. They aren’t just ‘minority’ – they are young, aspiring souls with dreams and things they love and hate. In retrospect, I was just like them when I first dabbled in film production at 16 or 17. My title may be Teaching Artist but we are more like friends. They remind me of the innocent passion I felt at the beginning – and that’s the most important in anything we do.

在香港長大的日子 Growing Up in Hong Kong

[Scroll down for English Translation]

文︰黃勺嫚,影像無國界導師 | Text: Wong Cheuk-man, Teaching Artist of All About Us
英譯︰黃澄楓 | English Translation: Janice Wong

Bryan正與組員討論拍攝事宜 Bryan was discussing the short film production with his group mates

Bryan正與組員討論拍攝事宜 Bryan was discussing the short film production with his group mates

DotDot Alfs Bryan Pabellan,我們喚他Bryan。他有圓滾滾的眼睛,像兔子的上頷。有時會喚他Dot Dot,聽上來更切合他趣緻的樣子。Bryan現年十七歲,是出生於香港的菲律賓人。不過,他只到過菲律賓兩次。記得第一次到達時,他發現菲律賓原來不如香港繁華。

Bryan在香港出生和成長,他直言自己是一個香港人。他說其他菲律賓同學對菲律賓人身份有更多認同,因為他們有很多親朋戚友的聚會,一聚首便身在菲律賓文化。可是,Bryan的父母先後因病離世,他與兩個姐姐同住,家庭不如其他菲律賓家庭熱鬧,所以他較少機會接觸菲律賓文化,自然較少認同菲律賓人的身份。當然,他知道香港人不易視他們為香港的一份子。他說年長的香港人,總是對他們充滿敵意。有時不小心輕微踫撞,也被人罵得狗血淋頭。住在屯門十多年的他,也沒有相熟的鄰居。他記得曾有鄰居問他可不可以幫忙檢查小孩的英文功課,Bryan當然說好,但最後卻不了了之。

儘管Bryan對菲律賓文化感到陌生,但他如大部份菲律賓人喜歡音樂,富有節奏感和音樂天份。他的父親是樂手,家族裡有人吹色士風和小號,他和姐姐也懂得彈鋼琴。他喜歡廣東歌,會聽張敬軒的音樂,還懂得唱張國榮的《追》。儘管不明白歌詞,但他仍然覺得感動。他說爸爸媽媽非常old-fashioned,因為他們家裡會保留著卡式帶播放器,聽The Beatles 和 Bee Gees的音樂,留著VHS錄影帶來看電影。Bryan說他對電影、音樂的興趣與他的童年有很大關係。他記得小學的時候,去了菲律賓探望重病的爸爸,回港後要待新學年才能上學。每日無所事事,便去表哥家裡看電影。表哥會放不同時代、不同類型的電影給他們看,連經典電影《大國民》他也看過。一說起《大國民》我們便不約而同說出Rosebud。電影最後一幕,主角Kane說完Rosebud便逝去。我們互問對方Rosebud是什麼意思。他說Rosebud代表了主角難忘所失去的童真,因為主角小時侯被父母遺棄時,遺留在雪地的滑雪板名叫Rosebud。他說他看第二次才明白。那時他不到十歲,卻有著細膩的情感。

Bryan is shooting with his group mates 與組員拍攝中的Bryan

Bryan is shooting with his group mates 與組員拍攝中的Bryan

除了看電影、玩音樂,他也想做演員。他想過考完中學文憑試以後,報讀香港演藝學院戲劇系,但不擅廣東話能考入的機會很低。不過他沒有失望,很快又說自己喜歡寫東西,想嘗試讀新聞系、做記者。看過《五星級大鼠》後,還想做美食評論家。讀幼稚園時,更想過做清潔員。難得他仍保持開放的心態,容許自己嘗試不同的事物。當然,他知道在香港生活不容易,為了幫補家庭的開支,他也正在超級市場做兼職,但是他覺得很好玩。

記得,我們組在學校的音樂室開會時,第一次聽Bryan彈奏的是《千與千尋》的配樂。了解他更多以後,覺得他喜歡《千與千尋》也不無原因。《千與千尋》是關於成長,希望他也像千尋般,學會勇敢。

DotDot Alfs Bryan Pabellan – Bryan for short – has round eyes and a pouty, rabbit-like mouth. Sometimes we call him Dot Dot, a cute nickname to match his cute face. He is a 17-year-old Hong Kong-born Filipino. He has only been to the Philippines twice, and he was surprised to find the country much less vibrant than Hong Kong.

Born and raised here, Bryan considers himself a Hongkonger. His Filipino classmates feel more connected to the Philippines – that was because they had plenty of gatherings with family and friends, according to him, which allowed them to share the culture. Bryan, however, didn’t have that. His parents both died of sickness, leaving behind him and two elder sisters. His family is not as lively as others, making it harder for him to reconnect with his roots. Of course, he is aware that other Hongkongers may not consider them as locals. Some older ones are even hostile – Bryan has been yelled at for bumping into someone by accident. Living in Tuen Mun for many years, he still hasn’t managed to make friends with neighbours. Once a neighbour asked if he could help check a child’s English homework, and he said yes. That was the end of that conversation.

Bryan 與其他營友分享有關拍攝短片的想法與感受 Bryan shared his thought and feeling on film production in the last day of camp

Bryan 與其他營友分享有關拍攝短片的想法與感受 Bryan shared his thought and feeling on film production in the last day of camp

Despite his disconnection with his own culture, Bryan loves music. Like many Filipinos, he was born with innate rhythm and musical talent. His father was a musician, a relative plays saxophone and trumpet, while he and his sisters play piano. He likes Canto-pop, especially Hins Cheung, and he knows every note to Leslie Cheung’s classic – Chase. He doesn’t understand the lyrics but it is still moving. His parents were old-fashioned, he noted. They played The Beatles and Bee Gees on cassette tape and watch movies on VHS. His interest in films and music was greatly fueled by his childhood. When he was in primary school, he visited the Philippines to see his sick father. When he returned, he had to wait until the new school year begins. He had a lot of time on his hands, so he went to his cousin’s and watched movies all day. His cousin played classics of different periods and genres, such as the masterpiece Citizen Kane. Talking about the movie, we both mentioned Kane’s last words: rosebud. That was the last scene of the movie, which ended as Kane died. We asked each other what rosebud meant. To him, it represented lost innocence. He pointed out when Kane was abandoned by his parents, the snowboard left in the snow was called Rosebud. He admitted it took him a second viewing to understand the line. He was only ten years old at that time but his sensitivity was beyond his age.

Other than watching movies and playing music, he also wants to act. He has consider applying to the school of drama at the Hong Kong Academy of Performance Arts after DSE, but he knows for someone not fluent in Cantonese, his chances are slim. However, he isn’t bummed. He also likes writing, and wants to delve into journalism. On the other hand, Ratatouille made him want to become a food critic. He even wanted to be a cleaner when he was in kindergarten. Open-minded, he is willing to try anything. Of course, living in Hong Kong is not easy and he knows that. That’s why he works a part-time job at a supermarket to make ends meet. To him, it is yet another interesting experience.

When our group had a meeting in the music room, the first piece Bryan played was from Spirited Away. Knowing him better now, I understood why he liked that movie – it was a coming-of-age story, and I hope he will grow up brave and well, just like Chihiro.

Bryan (左二) 與組員們 Bryan (second left) and his group mates

Bryan (左二) 與組員們 Bryan (second left) and his group mates

用影像拉近我們之間的距離 Shortening the Distance between Us by Films

【文︰林森,影像無國界導師】

2018aaucamp1-625林森、他的組員及學生助理 (「影像無國界」 2018/19)
Lam Sum and participants and student mentor of his group (“All About Us” 2018/19)

今年是我作為 ifva 舉辦的「影像無國界」(All About Us) 少數族裔青年影像創作計劃導師的第五個年頭。光陰似箭,還記得我第一次參與時,我的一些組員還只是活潑佻皮的少年人,現在已變成穩重沉實的大學生。最初答允參與這個計劃成為導師,其實只是因為我當時認為作為讀電影畢業的人,也應該將拍攝電影的知識分享給有需要的人,純粹單方面的思考。經過五年時間的參與,我卻發現,我得到的卻比我給予的更多。

從小到大,學校的教育告訴我們,人生而平等,不應因膚色、種族的不同,而有不同的待遇,這是現代最基本的普世價值,我相信絕大部份人都會認同。我也一樣,最初認為香港是一個自由平等的國際大都會,無論甚麼種族的人,得到的機會都必然是均等的,能否把握,大概就只是個人的能力問題吧。可是,後來透過各種機會,跟在港的少數族裔接觸多了,開始了解到很多時他們在融入社會之前,可能因為制度問題,已將他們排拒在外。參與了「影像無國界」,接觸多了少數族裔的青少年後,從他們身上我更理解到,他們的發展可能已被先天局限了。

還記得,一路以來參與「影像無國界」的少數族裔青少年,製作的短片作品題材除了有較貼近他們文化、類「Bollywood」式的歌舞片外,作為導師,我會鼓勵他們從自身生活經驗出發去創作。所以他們的短片作品主題,很多關於學業、夢想和未來發展等,有幾套印象較深的作品,都分別提到他們在香港學習中文的困難和對於他們未來發展的影響。透過觀看這些青少年創作的作品,我更了解到,除了母語、第二語言英文,原來中文對他們來說是第三語言,而因為中文從文法上、發音到書寫都依從一套完全不同的語言系統,他們能聽能講已相當了不起。如要求他們能完全掌握,甚至流利書寫,實在非常困難。所以,對比以中文為母語的本地學生,他們在學習上的困難是難以想像的。亦因為本港教育制度及職場上對中文程度的要求,他們更難在本地升大學、追求更好發展。很多時我問我的組員「未來想做甚麼?」,他們多數都支吾以對。如果我從沒有參與「影像無國界」、沒有跟他們相處過、沒有看過他們的創作,作為一個土生土長的香港人,我根本不會理解,他們在成長階段原來已需面對很多局限。

當然,造成這些局限的原因很多。我們除了要反思政策上或制度上的問題外,大眾媒體某程度上也有很大責任。記得有次帶領組員到球場的觀眾席拍攝,卻遭到一個租了場的足球隊教練攔阻,更差點發生衝突,原因卻只因為該教練以為參與拍攝的少數族裔青少年們在喧鬧。縱使我們多番解釋,卻還是被趕離場。事後跟我的組員討論,他們對於該教練的反應固然非常憤怒,但他們更在意的,是造成這位教練對他們存有偏見的原因。其實只要看看每天的新聞報導及主流電影電視作品中,普遍如何描述少數族裔,我們就會知道答案。

「影像無國界」是這個時代一個很好的平台,為少數族裔青少年提供機會,透過電影創作,訴說他們的故事。它同時是一個溝通媒介,讓少數族裔學生掌握發聲機會,令大眾透過他們的創作,了解他們更多,消解我們之間的偏見及誤會,一同尋找共同生活的可能性。

 2018aaucamp1-293林森與他的組員 (「影像無國界」 2018/19)
Lam Sum and participants of his group (“All About Us” 2018/19)

Text: Lam Sum, Teaching Artist of All About Us

This is my fifth year being the instructor of All About Us, a creative filmmaking project for ethnic minorities youths organised by ifva. How time flies. I still remember the faces of those lively, playful teens during my first year of participation, though they have now become mature, down-to-earth university students. The reason why I initially agreed to be an instructor for this project is simply because I believed as a graduate of filmmaking, I should share my knowledge in the field with people in need. It was a one-sided thinking. After five years of participation, I finally realise that what I have gained far exceeds what I have given.

Growing up, formal education teaches us that all people are equal. People of another skin colour or ethnicity should not be treated differently. This is the most basic universal value with which most people, I believe, would agree. I, too, initially considered Hong Kong as a free and equal metropolitan where people are entitled to the same opportunities regardless of ethnicities. It probably only comes down to personal abilities that determine whether a person could successfully seize the opportunities or not. However, after frequent contact with ethnic minorities in Hong Kong via various channels, I began to understand that a lot of them might have already been excluded by institutional causes way before they are even given a chance to get assimilated into the society. All About Us allows me to get closer with ethnic minorities youths. I learn from them that their developments may have already been limited by outside factors.

As an instructor, I often encourage the ethnic minority youths taking part in All About Us to create short films based on personal experiences other than merely following the Bollywood-style dance films close to their cultures. As a result, a lot of their short films are about their school life, dreams and future developments. A few memorable works talk about the challenges they face in learning Chinese in Hong Kong and the resulting effects on their future. Through these works, I further realise that apart from their native tongue and English as a second language, Chinese is a third language to them. As Chinese possesses a completely different linguistic system in terms of grammar, pronunciations and writing, it is already quite a feat for them to be able to speak and understand by listening. It is extremely demanding to expect them to be able to completely grasp the language or even write fluently. Therefore, compared to local students whose first language is Chinese, the difficulties that these ethnic minority youths encounter in learning are almost unimaginable. The requirement for Chinese at schools and workplaces makes it even harder for them to enter universities and pursue better developments in Hong Kong. I often ask my groupmates, “What do you want to do in the future?”, a question that is mostly met with equivocal or uncertain murmurs. If I had not taken part in All About Us where I spend time with these youths and see their works, I would not be able to comprehend the many limitations imposed on their growth.

Of course, there are many reasons for these limitations. Apart from the existing issues in our policies or institutions that require rethinking, a great deal of responsibility can be attributed to the mass media. I remember I once took my group mates to the audience seats of a football field for shooting. We were stopped by the coach there who rented the field, which nearly led to an altercation. It was simply because the coach stubbornly thought that the ethnic minority youths were trying to make a racket. Despite our many attempts to explain the matter, we were eventually driven out of the field. During my later discussion with the groupmates, they were of course angry with the coach’s reaction. But what really bothered them the most was how the coach had come to be so prejudiced and discriminatory. A casual look at how our everyday news and mainstream movies and TV dramas depict ethnic minorities would have easily revealed the answer.

All About Us is an excellent platform in this generation for ethnic minorities youths to tell their stories through filmmaking. It is simultaneously a communication channel through which these youths can make their voices heard and let the public understand them more through their works, dispelling any prejudices and misunderstanding and seeking further possibilities in living together harmoniously.

五人足球場上的板球夢 The Cricket Dream on a Five-a-side Football Field

【 文、攝:羅志明 Jimmy Lo,畢業於中大文宗系碩士,從事影像及紀錄片製作 】

作為香港社會族群一份子,居港少數族裔的聲音一直鮮見於各主流媒體。大眾對少數族裔生活文化的不理解,或多或少產生或鞏固了種種對少數族裔的刻板印象 (stereotype),延續了他們在社會上弱勢群體的狀態。ifva自2009年開始舉辦「影像無國界」少數族裔青年影像教育計劃,旨在為少數族裔提供一個文化平台,以影像為工具,讓他們的故事被大眾看見 (visible)。

「影像無國界」踏入第八年,少數族裔的故事每每讓我們感到驚喜,亦同時自慚於對他們日常生活的無知。當文化和政治即日常 (ordinary),在鏡頭內外,究竟甚麼才是少數族裔的「日常生活」?在今年影像無國界營會中,我們發現不少南亞裔青少年均熱衷於板球活動。一到自由時間,他們便拾起球具,打個不亦樂乎。透過這個機會,我們希望讓大家認識光影背後的少數族裔「板球日常」。

僅次於足球,板球 (Cricket)是全球第二受歡迎的運動。它也是居港少數族裔熱門運動,如它便是巴基斯坦的國家運動之一[1],唯此運動在港卻甚少受到注視。近年政府提倡「體育精英化」,把資源集中於已有卓越成績的項目及個別精英選手,但對較「冷門」的運動和青年選手的支持則未盡完善。

自己運動自己推
現時葵青區至少有約18,000多名南亞裔人士[2]居住,當中巴基斯坦人佔約3,700人。香港聖公會麥理浩夫人中心板球隊(下稱「LMC 板球隊」)於 2011 年成立,板球隊領隊兼社工 Tauqir Ahmad 指出,未有球隊前常見少數族裔青年在公園、足球場或籃球場打板球。該區並無板球場,只有業成街五人足球場是唯一允許打板球的公眾球場,故他們常受驅趕,像遊牧民族般不斷遷移到無人場地作訓練。有見及此,LMC 便成立了兩個年齡組別的球隊,分別是「13歲或以下」及「17歲或以下」組別,讓少數族裔可在安全、有專業裝備及教練下得到訓練。

縱然場地問題嚴重,仍有無數少數族裔青少年願意投身這個運動。隊員Osman 於香港出生,十歲時開始打「簡易板球」(Tape-ball Cricket)[3] 。簡易板球的好處是便宜──由於正式的木製硬球須花約200港元,對於大部份基層少數族裔青年而言,這是個很大的負擔。Osman 加入板球隊後,學習專業「硬球訓練」(Hard-ball Cricket) 已一年多。他指「年前搬到安蔭後,在球隊不單能認識新朋友,更能加強體格訓練和自信心。」

訓練受驅趕,板球路難行
Osman希望將來能打出成就,並有志成為香港板球隊員,但由於沒有正式訓練場地,他練球時經常被保安驅趕。「保安員會拿出對講機說『這裡有幾個巴基斯坦人打板球』,試圖嚇走我們。有時保安更報警,警察到場後便叫我們到較遠的足球場練習。」

社工 Ahmad 理解球員被趕的原因,但仍感無奈。「我們明白場地有分作足球或籃球之用,但區內沒有正式板球用地,我們想打板球,應該要去哪裡?閒置球場便成為我們的次選。」

問及 Ahmad 帶領球隊有否困難,他說:「香港學生學業壓力不少,我希望可讓隊員在安全和沒有太大壓力的情況下進行訓練。」他除了傾向以朋友的方式、平等的態度與球員相處外,更會帶領隊員參與社會義務工作。板球隊曾到大帽山進行垃圾回收,除了希望加強球員合作性及團隊精神外,更希望讓他們了解,少數族裔青年作為社會的一份子,應用自身力量貢獻社會。

結語
現在,LMC 板球隊在香港板球總會舉辦「13歲或以下組別」的在過去五場比賽中已取得四勝一和的,憑佳績高踞榜首,潛力不容忽視。他們面對的場地問題,不單影響少數族裔年輕人追逐板球夢,亦容易加強少數族裔與他人的對立,更阻礙青少年成長時期的自我價值及信心。「影像無國界」本著每個人生而平等的信念,尊重人有不同的背景、喜好及選擇,無論透過影像、透過運動、透過學業,我們相信少數族裔青年值得發展潛能的空間。對於來自不同國家的文化,如每個人願意多行一步去互相了解,要達至社會共融不遠矣。

附註:香港聖公會麥理浩夫人中心少數族裔服務 http://www.skhlmc-em.org/index.htm
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[1]板球起源於英國,據說是透過英國士兵和軍官流傳到澳洲、印度、巴基斯坦、南非和加勒比海地區,至今在這些國家仍極受歡迎。
[2]《2016年中期人口統計結果》地區概覽葵青區,http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/tc/bc-dp.html
[3]「簡易板球」(Tape-ball Cricket),這項運動由硬球(Hard-ball Cricket)演化出來的街頭運動,源自於巴基斯坦的卡拉奇,是現時巴基斯坦其中一項最熱門的街頭運動。這項運動的特點是相對硬球而言,較輕便、便宜。另外,Tape-ball 相對較輕,而硬球是網球約七倍重,因此在街頭使用 Tape-ball 較為安全。而專業板球賽事主要以「硬球」作賽。

【 Text & Photography by Jimmy Lo
A master’s degree graduate of the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Devoted to the production of moving images and documentaries. 】

As members of the society in Hong Kong, the voices of ethnic minorities are rarely heard in mainstream media. The general public either do not understand the minorities’ living cultures, or it more or less creates or reinforcing stereotypes that perpetuate the status of the minorities as the more socially vulnerable groups. Since 2009, ifva has launched “All About Us”, a filmmaking educational scheme for young people from ethnic minorities, as a cultural platform for ethnic minorities to express and make their stories visible to the general public through moving images.

As “All About Us” enters its 8th edition, the stories of ethnic minorities continue to surprise us and put us to shame as to how ignorant we are about their daily life. As politics and cultures become part of the ordinary, what exactly constitutes the “ordinary daily life” of ethnic minorities behind the camera? In the camps of this year’s “All About Us”, we discovered that many ethnic minority youths are passionate about cricket. Once there was free time, they would immediately pick up the cricket bats, fully enjoying themselves with hitting the ball. On this occasion, we hope to let people know about this “daily life with cricket” that ethnic minorities lead beyond the films.

Cricket is the second most popular sport around the world after soccer. It is also very well-liked by the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, such as Pakistanis, who value it as one of their national sports[1]. However, cricket is rarely emphasised in Hong Kong. Despite the government’s efforts in promoting elite athleticism, most of the resources are concentrated in sports that already boast excellent records or specific talented athletes. Support for the relatively “less common” sports and their young athletes is insufficient.

Pushing Its Own Sports Forward
There are now approximately 18,000 residents of Southeast Asian ethnicities living in Kwai Tsing District[2], of which about 3,700 are Pakistanis. The H.K.S.K.H. Lady MacLehose Centre (LMC)’s Cricket Team (The LMC Cricket Team) was established in 2011. Tauqir Ahmad, its team manager who also doubles as a social worker, points out that before the team was formed, ethnic minority youths often played cricket in parks, football fields or basketball courts. There is no cricket field in the district, and the five-a-side football field is the only public place that allows cricket-playing. Therefore, these young people were often chased away like nomadic groups, continuously “migrating” to unattended areas for training practices. In view of this predicament, LMC established two cricket teams according to age category, which are that for “people aged 13 or below” and that for “people aged 17 or below”, ensuring that ethnic minorities can receive training in a safe and well-equipped environment under the guidance of a coach.

Although there is a serious shortage of cricket fields, many youths from ethnic minorities are still very eager to participate in this sport. Osman, one of the team players, was born in Hong Kong. He has started playing Tape-ball Cricket[3] since he was 10. The merit of Tape-ball Cricket lies in its low cost – the official wooden cricket bat, which costs around 200 HKD, is a huge burden for most youths from these ethnic groups at grassroots level. After joining the cricket team, Osman has learnt to play the professional Hard-ball Cricket for more than a year now. “After moving to On Yam Estate about a year ago, I have improved my physical training and boosted my self-confidence, in addition to making new friends,” he says.

Expelled during Trainings, an Arduous Path in Cricket
Osman hopes to achieve success in cricket and make it to the Hong Kong National Cricket Team. However, as there are no official training sites available, he is often driven away by security guards during training. “The security guards would talk into their walkie-talkies, saying “there are a few Pakistanis playing cricket here” in an attempt to scare us away. Sometimes, the security guards might even call the police, who come to tell us to practice in football fields further away.”

Ahmad, the social worker, understands why team players are expelled and feels very helpless. “We are aware that the sites have specific purposes of playing football or basketball. But since there is no official cricket field in the area, where should we go when we want to play cricket? Unattended field or courts inevitably become our choices.”

When asked if there is any difficulty in leading the team, Ahmad says, “Hong Kong students face a lot of pressure academically. I hope the team players can practice in a safe and relatively stress-free environment.” Apart from treating the team players as friends and equals, he also leads them in social volunteer activities. The team once had an outing in recycling rubbish in Tai Mo Shan. In addition to strengthening the sense of cooperation and team spirit among players, it is hoped that these young team players can understand how they should contribute to the society in their power as members of the society.

Conclusion
As of now, the LMC Cricket Team has achieved four victories and a tie in the last five games in the category of age 13 or below, organised by Hong Kong Cricket. The team has stayed at the top of the chart with an excellent score, and its potential should not be overlooked. The lack of training sites does not only impede the dreams of many youths from ethnic minorities in making it big in cricket, but it also easily worsens the strife between the ethnic minorities and others, adversely affecting these young people’s sense of self-worth and self-confidence during their growth. Upholding the belief that everyone is born equal, “All About Us” respects the distinctive background, preferences and choices of every individual. We believe that youths from ethnic minorities deserve a platform where they can flourish and develop their potential, irrespective if it is through moving images, sports, or academic studies. If each and everyone of us is willing to take an extra step in understanding people of different countries and cultures, social harmony will certainly be within sight.

Note: H.K.S.K.H. Lady MacLehose Centre, Services for Ethnic Minorities Unithttp://www.skhlmc-em.org/index.htm
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[1] Cricket originates from the UK, and it is believed that cricket spread to Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the Caribbean by British soldiers and officers. Cricket is still very popular in these regions today.
[2]《2016 Population By-census Results》Demographic Profile of Kwai Tsing District Council District, http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/tc/bc-dp.html
[3]Tape-ball Cricket is a street sport evolved from Hard-ball Cricket and was originated from Karachi in Pakistan. It is one of the most popular street sports in Pakistan today. It possesses the characteristics of being cheaper and more portable, as compared to Hard-ball Cricket. A tape ball is also deemed safer to be played in the streets as it is lighter, whereas a hard ball is used mainly in professional cricket games as it weighs seven times of that of a tennis ball.

彈著結他傾劇本──少數族裔青年和本地青年的不同

文:楊兩全,畢業於香港中文大學新聞與傳播學院,從事影像及文字創作。

「影像無國界」是一項為香港少數族裔青年而設的影像教育計劃。在2015/2016年的計劃中,活動導師王綺美和林森分別聯同兩班組員,創作出兩段劇情短片The Ghost Friend (2015)以及The Magical Pen (2015)。問及他們和少數族裔學生一起拍片的感覺,他們不約而同表達出一種相近的體會──率性、大膽、直接。

導師王綺美和林森都在本地中學教拍片,均感覺少數族裔青年和香港本地青年創作的個性、思維、氣氛都很不一樣。

不會當你是權威

「香港學生比較聽話,他們會跟照你的指示去做。」王綺美這樣形容本地學生。她給本地學生automatic writing(自動書寫)作為創意練習的功課,學生們都會寫。可是,當她叫少數族裔學生寫一封「給觀眾的信」,希望他們思考觀眾的感受,六個組員卻只有一個交。少數族裔學生比較不聽話、自我,如果用一般中小學生的標準來看,大概可以用「曳學生」來形容。

導師王綺美與組員

導師王綺美與組員

「他們(少數族裔學生)只是當你buddy,不會當你是權威。你要講清   楚每件事背後的理由,不然他們不會接受。」王綺美分享自己和她組員 的教學相處,自己要先花時間和他們聊天,跟他們成為朋友,建立關 係,才可以真正教他們拍片。雖然如此,他們其實並不難相處,「只要 一開口,就好快可以熟」。

基於這兩種截然不同的個性,本地學生會「跟得足啲」,少數族裔學生 的作品難免會有多少「甩漏」。王綺美說,他們也認為自己的作品The Ghost Friend,主題是有點模糊不清,但王綺美認為不要緊,這就是學 習的過程,試過才會知道問題。可是,這樣的創作態度還是有其可貴之 處,如在鏡頭的處理上,他們率性的嘗試往往會帶來驚喜。王綺美給她 的本地學生看過他們的作品,大家都欣賞他們率性自然的鏡頭運用。

彈著結他傾劇本

CAMP-132

導師林森的組員

香港本地學生的時間表排得密密麻麻,功課沉重,學業壓力大得令人喘不過氣。本地學生給林森的感覺是很拘謹,好像受到很多無形的掣肘,即使問問題也很少人回答,看完短片沒什麼反應,這是常態。至於少數族裔學生,雖然也在港讀書,但他們的包袱好像沒那麼沈重,思維也就比較輕鬆,熱衷於發表自己的想法,十分活潑。這是林森對少數族裔學生的觀感。

「每一次開會傾故事,他們都會帶著一枝結他,每個人都會彈、都會唱,將結他一個傳一個。第一次見面,就已經這樣。本地同學沒可能這樣,一點也不怕醜。」導師林森這樣形容他和他一班少數族裔學生一邊彈結他,一邊傾劇本的情況──的確,很好玩,很有活力。

王綺美也認同少數族裔學生比較大膽主動,就以「誰想做演員?」這問題為例,本地學生不會有人舉手,少數族裔學生則會搶著做,這是本地學生和少數族裔學生的一大分別。

「離地」的想像

香港學生和少數族裔的創作題材也各有不同。林森說,自己身邊的本地學生關心的,多是校園生活,如功課、考試等;王綺美說,她的本地學生會嘗試討論社會議題,如「網絡廿三條」(版權修訂條例)等,都是源自生活。而林森認為,少數族裔學生的創作靈感,則來得比較簡單直接,他們平時喜歡看什麼片,就會想拍什麼片。細看「影像無國界」這幾年的作品,不難發現,他們的作品多次出現動作片、黑幫片的題材,或者這和他們較常接觸的主流商業片有關。

林森與組員拍攝Magic Pen

林森與組員拍攝 The Magic Pen

林森一組創作的劇情短片The Magical Pen,則富有相當的科幻元素。故事就由某位組員提出,「有一枝畫筆,畫什麼就有什麼,但只有自己看到,別人看不到」這一個奇想開始,然後各組員你一句我一句,慢慢發展出有起承轉合的故事。或者這和他們的生活沒有很直接的關係,但至少他們覺得好玩、有趣。

王綺美一組也有類似的情況。本來她和各組員一起討論主題時,談及他們一些生活面對的困難,如:未能達到父母期望、單親家庭下的成長等等。討論了兩堂後,編劇寫了一個大綱出來,卻竟然是一個鬼故、講友情。王綺美笑說:「很難捉摸他們的思維邏輯,跳得太快。」

不一樣的他們

這次「影像無國界」計劃,林森和王綺美的組員,主要來自巴基斯坦、菲律賓、尼泊爾這一帶南亞國家,有些在香港土生土長,有些只來了香港三四年。他們與本地青年的學習態度迴異,創作比較率性、大膽、直接。這或許和他們自身的文化特質有關?還是他們根本沒有像本地學生般,深受香港傳統的教育文化影響?