AND THAT'S MY STORY: JESSEY TSANG, FILMMAKER
I have been intrigued to find out more about the creators behind projects that I have been fortunate enough to see and/ or hear for a long time now so I've decided to do something about it. And That's My Story is a series on this blog that shares with you a bit about the creators and talent I've met along the way and their journey towards fulfilling their dreams; it will run for as long as I can find people who are willing to share their story. Today, I would like to introduce you to the personable and talented Jessey Tsang.
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I met Jessey for the first time two years ago at the UK premiere of her documentary Flowing Stories at the Cornerhouse which was a part of the Hong Kong Film Program for Asia Triennial Manchester 14. It was such a moving film that drove home the importance of knowing your roots in this world that moves at such a fast pace that makes it very easy to forget the past and old traditions. I managed to rope her into taking part in this series last year and I grateful that she took the time to answer my questions. I hope you enjoy reading what she has to say as much as I did. Enjoy!
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Photo Courtesy of Jessey Tsang
HELLO JESSEY! TO START OFF THIS INTERVIEW COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVELY HOMETOWN, HO CHUNG?
Hi! I am a native villager in HK, from the village called Ho Chung. After graduation from film school in HK, I kept making my indie shorts/ features and have been in the film making life already for over a decade now. Ho Chung is a village that is over 400 years old. There are almost no films about HK native villagers therefore, I began making a series of films about my village. Being a filmmaker and also a native villager, I feel it is important for me to preserve village traditions.
DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A FILMMAKER?
I never thought of being a filmmaker, I was just a day dreamer. I used to love listening to music when I was in high school and because of that love for music, I decided to study visual and sound in film school.
ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT OR DID YOU GO TO FILM SCHOOL? DO YOU THINK FILM SCHOOL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS AND IF NOT, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE KEY THINGS ONE MUST HAVE OR DO?
Yes, I did go to film school. I studied film in the School of Film / TV at The Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. These were very important years for me as I was able to immerse myself into a film making atmosphere. I was studying sound design and mixing and so I was not a film directing student. My visuals are formed by sounds! I think one of the main reasons why I became a filmmaker is my village- the big family bond and support inspired me look at life and everyday life concerns in a different way.
Photo Courtesy of Jessey Tsang
FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, BASED ON THE SUBJECT OF YOUR SUBJECT OF YOUR PROJECTS, YOU LOVE YOUR VILLAGE. WHAT DOES "HOME" MEAN TO YOU AND WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT YOURS?
Home means unique - it means nowhere can compare. I love my family members in my home! Home is full of history! Home is safe!
WERE YOUR FAMILY SURPRISED BY YOUR PASSION FOR FILMMAKING OR WERE YOU ALWAYS SEEN AS A STORYTELLER FROM A YOUNG AGE?
My family were not really surprised about me being a filmmaker. I was very active when I was little, always acting some role in front of my aunties and uncles!
UNLIKE YOUR OTHER FILMS, "LOVERS ON THE ROAD" AND "BIG BLUE LAKE", "FLOWING STORIES" IS A DOCUMENTARY. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN EXPLORING OTHER WAYS OF STORYTELLING FURTHER AND IF SO WHICH FORM ARE YOU LIKELY TO TRY NEXT?
I am very open to telling stories in different genres. Apart from feature length films, short films also interest me. And I am currently working a dance video for an exhibition in the new art centre HOME in Manchester.
Photo Courtesy of Jessey Tsang
HOW DID THE IDEA OF "FLOWING STORIES" COME TO YOU? IT SEEMS TO BE SUCH A MULTI-LAYERED STORY ABOUT HO CHUNG, "HOME", "IMMIGRATION", "THE IMPORTANCE OF RETAINING CULTURAL TRADITIONS WHICH ARE GRADUALLY BEING LOST OVER TIME" AND SO MUCH MORE.
In the outside world, no one thinks of Hong Kong beyond its modernity and consumerism. Everything in Hong Kong changes very fast. Even the river near my hometown can’t escape. Disfigured beyond recognition, it saddens me to see such havoc wreaked on Ho Chung River in order to prevent the occasional overflow, especially since it has witnessed 400 years of history and nourished the lives of the villagers for all that time. It became obvious to me that it’s important to record the history of a part of Hong Kong life that contributed to its phenomenal success and its unique position in the world. It is from the hard lives and labour of rural people of the generation of Grandma Lau and through the sacrifices of migrants such as her children, that the fiber of Asian “economic miracles” is made of.
By focusing so intimately on the small story of Ho Chung Village, I feel that this film could shed light on the much bigger stories of the world around it: stories of life and death, of change and transformation, of heritage and development, of tradition and modernity.
The narrative structure of the film is contained within a year, the year of the Village Festival, from its preparations to its conclusion, as I follow Grandma Lau’s children’s families in their lives in France and England, in parallel to Grandma’s solitary existence in Ho Chung Village. But the temporal structure of the film goes back decades with the migration stories of the family members in the 50s, 60, 70s, 80s.
The tapestry of the film is woven with important traditional events such as the Festival, the Sweeping of Grandpa’s grave, the Celebration of Grandma’s 81st birthday; with interviews of the extended family in their present lives abroad; with found footages of past Village Festivals held every 10 years, as well as old amateur films of Hong Kong of the 50s and the 60s when the migration phenomenon first started.
HOW HARD WAS IT TO DECIDE WHO YOU WANTED TO INTERVIEW AND THEN ORGANISE ALL THE INTERVIEWS? AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE THIS DOCUMENTARY?
As a director, and also a villager, my point of view will be an essential part of the film, relaying other villagers’ stories intertwined with my own. The Lau family home and my family‘s is just right next to each other’s, our families are very close. Grandma Lau seems always so strong and smart, for me she is a very brave woman among the grannies in the village. Married to Ho Chung for over 60 years, with over 10 grandchildren, she commands awe and admiration. Female character always plays a lead role in my works; in Flowing Stories, we can see how a village changes through Grandma Lau’s old stories. Therefore, that’s not very hard to decide who the interviewees are.
It took me over 3 years to complete the movie.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU ENCOUNTERED WHEN FILMING AND PROMOTING "FLOWING STORIES"?
I think the biggest challenge was to get the trust from the village and the interviewees. Also you need to be patient in filming and editing the huge amount of footage.
Photo Courtesy of Jessey Tsang
BEING BOTH DIRECTOR AND INTERVIEWER, HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CREATING YOUR WONDERFUL PRODUCTION TEAM?
After the success of Big Blue Lake, I had invited Hong Kong Arts Centre to co-produce my new film Flowing Stories, and luckily they liked the idea of the project. Also my producer Teresa Kwong did support me in Flowing Stories. I do think that a long term relationship is very important in film making. I always treasure the opportunity to work with long term collaborators. While for the editor role of Flowing Stories, it is my honour to have Mary Stephen to join in; not just being the editor, but also one of my associate producers. Mary did bring in lots of her personal life experience into the film: her immigration life experience and also being the mother to 3 kids which was invaluable in making dialogue with Granny Lau and her family.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL FILMS UNDER YOUR BELT, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING FILMMAKERS WHO HAVEN'T CAUGHT A BREAK YET?
I would say don’t think, just shoot! There is no master piece, just believe in your ideas then shoot! Have you found your next project? And if so, is there anything you can share with us regarding it? I am developing some film projects, mainly fiction feature at the moments. Will try to explore more different genres in the coming future.
AND LASTLY, WHAT ARE 5 FILMS THAT LEFT YOU TRANSFORMED AFTER WATCHING THEM?
That is a hard question. I don't think the transformation can be directly from a particular movie. I would say French New Wave affected me a lot. The pace of European films influenced my work very much during my time at film school. In my 20's though, Asian cinema was my primary influence.
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jessey for taking part in this interview which is now the first ATMS post of 2016. It is such a joy to learn more about filmmakers and their work and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us.
Mo x