Inherited Movements, many migrations
Narrating Migration - HKFFUK X Amnesty International UK • Discussion
1 Oct 2026 (Thu) • 18:15 • Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Across generations, migration takes many forms: the quiet rooting of a plant, the courage to leave and return, the written word as a thread that binds people across distance and separation.
This programme traces experiences of migration across different times and places — people who arrived in Hong Kong, and those who later left it for the UK — allowing conversations around home and identity to unfold from narrative cinema into documentary and artist moving images.
Beginning with the perspectives of women filmmakers, we move across borders and geographies, following the ways in which people leave, return, adapt, and take root again.
Followed by in-person discussion with filmmakers.
Presented in partnership with Amnesty International UK(AIUK).
The First Photograph 第一張照片
Hong Kong | 2024 | Colour | 11’
No Dialogue with Chinese and English subtitles
Dir.: Jess Lau Ching-wa 劉清華
UK Premiere
The film depicts the story of the artist's father, who fled to Hong Kong in the 70s. The video is presented in a series of overlays and montages, initially taken from one of her father's documentary photographs, and then combined with Google Maps to retrace the route of his escape from China, as well as newspaper articles and radio broadcasts from 1978 to 1980.
as a bird that briefly perches 擇鳥記
Hong Kong, UK | 2024/2025 | Colour | 17’
In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
Dir.: Dorothy Cheung 張紫茵
A cinematic diary weaves Hong Kong's geology, greenhouse gardening, and UK migrant farmers' lives, exploring rooting, re-rooting, and growing amid shifting land-human dynamics.
Homecoming and Going 逆留
Hong Kong, UK | 2025 | Colour | 19’
In Cantonese and English with Chinese and English subtitles
Dir.: Kristie Ko 高思約
An apartment is handed over between old friends. It is Emily and Vincent’s first day in London, and Megan’s last day before returning to Hong Kong. As Emily and Vincent start their new life, Megan bids farewell to the people and places she has grown to call home.
Heart of the Lion 赤子獅心
Hong Kong, UK | 2026 | Colour | 20’
In English with Chinese and English subtitles
Dir.: Rosanna Lee 李學儀
Moving between life in London and Hong Kong, this film follows Kelvin Chan, a British-born Chinese lion dancer, as he explores how the routines and rituals of a creative, spiritual practice may provide their own sense of belonging.
Tiger’s Head, Nail’s Tail: Yours Faithfully 虎頭鐵釘尾: 信
Hong Kong, Thailand, Netherlands | 2025 | Colour | 28’
No Dialogue with English subtitles
Dir.: Serene Hui 許思樂
UK Premiere
The essay-film serves as the conceptual backbone of the multi-chapter research Tiger's Head, Nail's Tail. The project is an excavation of language, migration, and the political translation of memory across Southeast Asia.
Yours Faithfully is a montage of conversations with Hui's grandfather with archival material and footage from migration sites. It contextualizes the scribe's role within the broader history of Qiaopi (a vital 20th-century network of correspondence and finance was a lifeline for the Chinese diaspora) while reflecting on the geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War era - from the establishment of the People's Republic of China to the complex diplomatic shifts among newly decolonizing nations in Southeast Asia. Through this lens, the film explores the trust and time involved in historical letter transmission versus contemporary communication, reframing the act of transcribing to illuminate the emotional and political contours of a momentous displacement.
