Private Project

Fear(less) and Dear

Since the summer of 2019, Hong Kong has been going through one of the toughest periods of its history due to a political movement sparked by the government’s controversial extradition bill and the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the globe. How do young parents feel? What do they think about their kids and the next generation? Director and visual artist Anson Mak invites three local artists, who are also parents—performing artist and district councillor Clara Cheung, political comic artist Justin Wong and writer Cheung Yuen-man—to genuinely share their stories regarding the notion of fear. Their artworks also powerfully respond to political unrest and personal innermost emotions, as this film in itself.

  • Anson MAK
    Director
  • Kiki HO
    Producer
  • WONG Wai Nap
    Cinematographer
  • Anson MAK
    Cinematographer
  • Nose CHAN
    Editor
  • Anson MAK
    Editor
  • Fiona LEE
    Sound Recording
  • Square Fruit
    Original Music
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    誠惶（不）誠恐，親愛的
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 46 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Hong Kong
  • Country of Filming:
    Hong Kong
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.31:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Busan International Film Festival
    Busan
    Korea, Republic of
    October 22, 2020
    World Premiere
    Wide Angel Documentary Competition
  • Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
    Hong Kong
    Hong Kong
    November 7, 2020
    Hong Kong Premiere
    Cineaste Delights
  • Jogja Netpac Asian Film Festival
    Yogyakarta
    Indonesia
    November 25, 2020
    Indonesian Premiere
    Asian Perspectives
Distribution Information
  • First Light Images
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Anson MAK

Anson MAK is a researcher-artist, specialized in moving image and sound. She currently works as Associate Professor in Academy of Visual Arts in Hong Kong Baptist University. She is especially interested in experimental ethnography. Her works are shown in many international film festivals and exhibitions: International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, Vancouver International Film Festival, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, etc.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Passing the age of 50, I am more interested in people’s inner deep emotions, psychological conditions, and the come about, thus to seek the possible ways out. Fear and fearless is not a matter of existence and non-existence, but an inner journey of exploration of the mind. During the process of exploration, the outside circumstances will be reflected inevitably. However, the outside phenomena is not the focus. The essence of the film is people’s mind.

Hongkongers have been experiencing extreme and traumatic situations for more than a year. It will take a long time to heal and resolve. Facing dictatorship, irrationality and the divide in society, the only way out is knowing and tuning our mind, plus offering love and compassion to ourselves and others. It might sound too sentimental yet indeed, it is the only way.

Regarding aesthetic exploration, there is ample room for experimentations merging documentary and experimental moving images, literature, performance, music and field recording (sound and image). This work attempts to put together thoughts and feelings, memories and imagination, personal and social/private and public experiences through the formal experimentations. In these interwoven forms of multi-dimensions, we can look at our own mind at various levels.