HONG KONG (SE): During the lensing ceremony of the second series of pro-life short films produced by Joy of Life, a lay group, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., emphasised the importance of film to teach Catholic values. The ceremony took place on January 14 after a Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Shek Kip Mei.
“Messages conveyed by images are far more stronger than a long article as it can show feelings, emotions, sadness and intentions with a shot. I encourage the continuous development of short films with, of course, changes in the depth of its messages and views as time passes and as we know more, which needs knowledge and discernment,” the cardinal said, adding that he was deeply impressed by its first series.
The first series, “Love and Life”, was first launched in 2022, depicting couples struggling with whether to terminate a pregnancy when they find out during prenatal testing that their child may have defects and inviting people to reflect on the meaning of life.
Kevin Lai, of Joy of Life, producer of the movie, thanked the guidance of God for kindling their determination to make short films years ago and granting them help, and called for more support in the shooting of the second series.
According to Kelvin Chan, producer and scriptwriter, the second series will focus on reproductive technology, elderly care, and termination of treatment for illness and death. The cardiologist, who provided the blueprints for the four real-life stories, said he hopes there will be further series with more people’s support.
He told the Sunday Examiner that the most difficult part in making a short film is to convey a message and values within 15 to 20 minutes. He shared that to tell different angles of a story, every episode in the second series may be longer than the first one and involve more scenes.
In cooperation with Hong Kong Footage, the pre-production team of the new series went through many months of fund-raising, script-writing, casting and location hunting and finally embarked on the first stage of filming.
Daniel Wong, the executive producer, said the difficulties of filming lie in getting financing and finding locations because of the tightened restrictions in hospitals after the Covid-19 pandemic. The gynaecologist and pro-life worker said it was not easy to find actors due to the limited budget and that most of the cast is chosen from lay people and volunteers who are interested in participating.
Deacon Gordon Lau, chairperson of the Diocesan Pastoral Commission for Marriage and the Family, thanked the donors, the Joy of Life and the support of Hong Kong Footage, who helped to make pro-life messages more vivid through the films and let God be present among people.
Gary Tam, a TV drama actor who took part in the second series, told the Sunday Examiner that he finds it interesting to express the dramatic changes in the character he played within such a short screen time, and it took him some time to study the script to figure out how. He shared that the story tries to depict how the character rises up from a big failure, which is somehow similar to the experiences of many Hong Kong people.
