Eye Catcher Global 2024
In recent years, I have taken up roles as a festival jury member, and I always feel anxious when I announce the results, which I find irrelevant to the competition. No matter how prestige the award is, winning and losing can become a trivial matter – likes and dislikes can be unexplainable, and tastes are very subjective. Sometimes having a realistic attitude is also not a bad thing. Every time when the results are announced, and the doubts are cleared, I always feel beholden towards the nominees who lose. I wanted to console them, but knowing that this is not being helpful, so I let it go instead.
I have come to realise that apart from the tactical or lucky ones who win, it is always the people who loses the prize that keep going. They may be frustrated by the defeats, feeling disillusioned or sceptical, but they never lose their will, instead they reflect and re-strategize before every application. Therefore, I would like to salute to every person that has ever lost an award. For me, this is one of the main reasons for organising Eye Catcher Images. I remember when I was first invited to make a pitch, I didn’t even know how to prepare the presentation, and I stuttered through the entire 7-minute speech. So I hope by organising the pitching forum, we can provide filmmakers a local platform to learn and hone their pitching skills.
The theme of this year’s ECG is “Roll or Die”, which follows the spirit of the incubation program, “Lights, Camera Action!”. We hope to promote collaboration among filmmakers from all over the world through physical events, to encourage the spirit of experimentation, as innovative ideas are often only realised after they have been tried and tested. Finally, I would like to conclude with touching moment that happened at an ECG event earlier on.
During one of selection events this year, a duo of participants didn’t win the production funding award and were only qualified to continue to participate in the next round of events. Upon hearing the results, they burst into tears. I thought that they were crying out of disappointment, but the pair of young talents were in fact crying joyful tears, as they were thankful of the opportunity to carry on in the next round of events. These souls are in hunger for creating! I hope that Eye Catcher will continue to work alongside creative talents like you.
近年多了擔任評審的工作，其實每次總是很擔心宣佈賽果的一刻，而這往往與賽果無關的。無論是多麼重要的獎項，勝敗很多時候都是「兒嬉」的，喜歡難以解釋，口味不容說服，當知音不堅持獨到的時候，平均有時竟為最好。在公佈結果之後，花落誰家已無懸念，每每到了這時刻，我總是覺得對落選者有所虧欠，這驅使我很想上前安慰，但心知這總是無補於事，於是只好讓時間過去。
慢慢也發現到，比賽中除了甚具謀略的尋勝者及糊里糊塗的僥倖贏家，能持續地發展下去的總是屢敗屢戰的落選者，他們會因挫敗而沮喪，失意到懷疑，卻絕不喪志，用心檢討再部署出戰，在此向所有落選者致敬。於我而言，這也是籌辦奪目影像的初衷之一，尤記得當我第一次被邀請作提案時，連簡報都不知道要準備，7分鐘都說不出甚麼重點，我希望香港能夠有更多機會讓各位磨練學習。
本屆 ECG 主題為「一拍即合」，承接著孵化計劃階段「不拍不合」的精神，我們希望透過實體活動，促進來自全球各地電影人的合作，同時鼓勵實驗精神，因為創新的想法往往在試過才知道會怎樣的。最後𧫴以本屆活動的一個感動時刻作結：在早前其中一場甄選活動中，有一對參加者失落了製作資金的獎項，只獲得繼續參與下一輪活動的資格，他們當場大哭起來，我本以為這是失望的眼淚，原來兩位少年竟然純粹因為有繼續發展項目的機會而喜極而泣，可見我們這裡的創作魂是如此飢餓！願奪目影像能繼續與你們走下去。
Eye Catcher Global 2023
Eye Catcher has stepped into its second year, having weathered the pandemic and emerged stronger than ever with the return of physical events. As for myself, I have completed my debut feature film, Hong Kong Family and earned the title of director. Yet, this newfound role has not altered my identity as an independent creator. I still believe that visual media are mere tools, and that thoughts and ideas are what hold the essence. In the end, we cannot escape the calling to pursue what truly matters to us. I hope to continue participating in the arts in various capacities, embracing new roles and exploring fresh perspectives. Over the years, it has been a challenge to persist in doing what I believe in here in Hong Kong. This year, I am delighted that foreign filmmakers can finally come and participate in our Eye Catcher Global Week. I am particularly grateful to KIM Yutani, the programme director of Sundance, and senior programmer Mike PLANTE, for their invaluable support. Thanks to them, we are honoured to welcome Sundance filmmakers and programmers to Eye Catcher Global this year. This holds a special significance for me, as attending Sundance in 2019 and 2020 inspired me to co-found Eye Catcher. I look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events.
奪目踏入第二個年頭。我們總算捱過了疫情，全面恢復實體活動，而我也完成了我的首部劇情片《過時・過節》，多了個電影導演的頭銜，卻沒有改變我作為獨立創作者的身份，我仍然相信不同影像類型只是方法的種種，念頭才是本質，到頭來還躲不過要做心裡在乎的事。來日方長，希望能一直以不同身份參與藝術。這些年要在香港持續地做自己相信的事，好不容易，今年尤其欣喜外國的影人終於可以親身來港，參加我們的 Eye Catcher Global，當中特別感謝 Sundance 的節目總監 KIM Yutani 及資深選片人 Mike PLANTE，在他們的支持下，今年我們有 Sundance 的選片人和導演參加 Eye Catcher，這對我來說別具意義，因為我正正是在2019和2020年連續2年在 Sundance 觀摩後，回港參與創立Eye Catcher的。期待在接下來的活動中見到大家。
TSANG Hing Weng Eric
Co-founder and Artistic Director
Eye Catcher Global
曾慶宏
Eye Catcher Global 聯合創辦人兼藝術總監
