Students in the Department of Communication’s Creative Media Stream will screen their graduation project films on Thursday, 30 April at 7pm in the Theatre of Student Activity Centre (E31). There will be four short films each exploring the theme “Near Futures”. Students in the Video Workshop II course have been learning from science fiction films and speculative fiction as they wrote, shot and edited their own original stories about the future. Their creative short films provoke thinking about the future of work, technology and relationships.
All are welcome to this free public screening. After the screening, these student filmmakers will also participate in a Q&A and sharing session where the audience can ask questions about their films.
Lucky Pregnancy
In 2036 Macau, “symbiotic pregnancy” technology allows men to become pregnant—a breakthrough that could advance workplace equality and dismantle sexual violence. Yet most men remain skeptical. Zhou Tao, long absent from his family, is involuntarily implanted with the chip and discovers at twelve weeks that he is pregnant. Only then does he truly feel the weight of family responsibility.
Coco
In 2046, after losing her lover, Alex purchases a humanoid robot named Coco, whose appearance and memories are modeled after the one she lost. When a mandatory system upgrade threatens to erase all of Coco’s existing memories, Alex faces an impossible choice: let her beloved companion become a stranger, or let her fall into eternal sleep. As she struggles between holding on and letting go, she must finally accept that true love is not about possessing the past, but about cherishing what remains in the heart.
Hibernation
A hibernation voucher the rich would kill for lands with a poor deliveryman. Ironically, 300 days of suspended time mean nothing to him as he can’t afford to stop for even one day. His cancer-stricken mother lies in a hospital bed, bills cutting into him like knives. He sells the voucher for money, buying more time for his mother. The man who buys it lets his AI grow his wealth while he sleeps. When the AI carries out a cold-blooded acquisition that halts the development of a life-saving cancer drug, who bears the responsibility for this inhuman act? In the end, time that is bought and sold has cost them what they can never get back.
Lingering Dreams
“What causes love to change?”
“Lingering Dreams” centers on a couple who have been deeply in love since college. Their relationship was once as enviable as a dream, but it takes a drastic turn after they enter the workforce. On the day of Suet Yau’s birthday, a simple “I love you” becomes the spark that sets off a rupture in their relationship. The issues between her and Pak Wang that they had long avoided confronting finally come to light, and at this moment, Suet Yau must make a choice…
“Lingering Dreams” reflects the reality of couples in today’s society: when our paths diverge, how should we hold on to the person who matters most to us?
