ABUSE | WOMEN, ELDERLY, SLICE OF LIFE
Siu (signifies “”smile”” in Cantonese), in her seventies, once again endures cruel and unreasonable threats and abuse from her son at home. Having endured it all her life, she determined to push the old sofa that should have been discarded long ago out of her home
and walk alone to the garbage dump. At the corner of the street at midnight, Siu runs into her old neighbour, Tong, whom she has known for over thirty years.
Throughout the night, the two of them make stops and push the worn-out and heavy sofa, walking through the quiet old streets, parks, overpass bottoms… They encounter different people, objects, and lonely scenery along the way.
Yan Yan Mak is an award-winning director and producer from Hong Kong. A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, she began her career as an assistant director, production manager, and art director before founding her own production company. Her debut feature Gege (Brother), made with a small crew and non-professional cast, received multiple international accolades including the FIPRESCI Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the POVEGLIA Award at Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week, and prizes in Jeonju, Bratislava, and Fribourg. Her latest short, Bric-A-Brac, has achieved international recognition, winning ten awards including Best Foreign-Language Short of the Season at the Independent Shorts Awards Los Angeles and the Cannes World Film Festival.
