Roger Garcia

Examines the early 1980s Hong Kong filmmaking community. Tony Rayns interviews some of the new generation of filmmakers and figures from the wider film culture.

At the age of 74, many people retire themselves or go and spend the rest of their life in elderly’s house. But Kim Dong-Ho has made the decision to live like a young and energetic man until the end of his life. He gets up early around 4 am every morning. He does his exercise for an hour. Then he checks the news and respond to his emails. After that, he takes the bus to his work. He is currently working in a university of film and media, which he has launched himself two years ago. KIM is the same man whom established the largest Asian Film Festival when he was almost 60 years old. Now that he is 74 years old, he has just decided to make his first film as a director.

Director Roger Garcia drew inspiration from Close to Our Hearts, a script he wrote after returning to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1977. Although the project never materialised because of a lack of funding and resources, Garcia adapted its elements—character lines, location shots, references to other films, portraits of a harpist—for this essay film, which traces a disintegrating relationship between a Chinese musician and his English wife, a photographer. Ruminating on the liminal space between text and image, Garcia seeks new ways of looking at a ceaselessly evolving city.

The first Malaysian film to be selected for the Berlin Film Festival (in 1989) is an experimental feature about the custom among the native Iban community of Sarawak for young men to "bejalai" (go on a journey) before attaining maturity.

Trying to approach the city – but constant rejection

Ssecond film in two filmmakers’ view on Hong Kong shortly before the UK sold its former colony to China. First part was directed by Ingo Petzke.

HKNY was inspired by Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities. Garcia draws on the concept of in-betweenness to construct a story of an individual (the filmmaker) reflecting on his position between Hong Kong, his birthplace, and New York, where he resides.

HKNY was inspired by Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities. Garcia draws on the concept of in-betweenness to construct a story of an individual (the filmmaker) reflecting on his position between Hong Kong, his birthplace, and New York, where he resides.

Director Roger Garcia drew inspiration from Close to Our Hearts, a script he wrote after returning to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1977. Although the project never materialised because of a lack of funding and resources, Garcia adapted its elements—character lines, location shots, references to other films, portraits of a harpist—for this essay film, which traces a disintegrating relationship between a Chinese musician and his English wife, a photographer. Ruminating on the liminal space between text and image, Garcia seeks new ways of looking at a ceaselessly evolving city.

Director Roger Garcia drew inspiration from Close to Our Hearts, a script he wrote after returning to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1977. Although the project never materialised because of a lack of funding and resources, Garcia adapted its elements—character lines, location shots, references to other films, portraits of a harpist—for this essay film, which traces a disintegrating relationship between a Chinese musician and his English wife, a photographer. Ruminating on the liminal space between text and image, Garcia seeks new ways of looking at a ceaselessly evolving city.