With a
family trip to Hong Kong planned for July 24th, I challenged myself
to make a 3-minute piece in seven days.
This reflexive exploration of the travel documentary-making process came
from my personal journey. I began the
week a film student on the hunt for a golden story. Through ideas, laughs, silences and connections shared,
however, I realized that the beauty of a local encounter lies in the fearless
celebration of life between people.
As a documentary-maker, this requires seeing people with an open mind
and heart, not as your subjects but your brothers and sisters.
The piece’s
narrative is a structured representation of lessons I learnt through filming
itself, and both informed and was informed by my rushes day-to-day.
Diversity
of people assures one may encounter resistance as much as openness when
approaching others. My greatest
challenge was earning the trust of strangers confused about my intentions. Just ‘having a laugh’ with new people is
becoming rarer in a world rife with suspicion and fear.
As a
documentary-maker, I endeavour to highlight common threads between seemingly
disparate individuals and cultures.
The possibility of a united humanity depends on our ability to empathize. To see ‘i to i’.
