Mantle

Hon Sze Fergus Chan is an emerging multicultural director and videographer who is in search of his true self from his own personal and familial experiences.

Born in Hong Kong but grew up in both Beijing and London, Fergus have deep influences from multiple cities and cultures. After graduating his degree in Architecture, Fergus decided to take a huge leap of faith and enrolled himself into Master of Moving Image in University of Sydney.

During his studies, Fergus was instrumental in the production of 'Information Cocoon', 'Interview of SUUFA' and, most notably, The Mantle in which he served as writer, director and lead actor. This highly personal piece would see him pushing himself to new aeras creatively and was derived from his own familial experiences.

In the future, Fergus hopes to be able to work in the sound department or camera department as well as production department.

  • Fergus Chan
    Director&Writer
  • Kai Lu
    Producer
  • Zibo Zheng
    Director of Photography
  • Jinyu Lu
    Editor&Animator
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    Yue Chinese (Cantonese)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    17:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Sydney
Director Biography

Hon Sze Fergus Chan is a young film creator born in Hong Kong. Fergus have a very interesting experience and cultural influence as he have spent 8 years living in Beijing China and UK.

Fergus started out as a architecture student. After finishing his BA in architecture he decided to throw himself into the media field instead.

In 2022, Fergus began his study in University of Sydney. The course he is studying is called Master of Moving Image. In the midst of his studies, he participated in roles like director, actor and more. His first film is Mantle a story based on his tragic experience during Covid 2021. In which Fergus both directed and acted as the main character of the short film.

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Director Statement

Mantle is a story adapted from my tragic experience in 2021. I was far away in the UK when the passing of my grandfather happened. The idea of the movie is derived from the story and my personal healing process. The objective of Mantle was for me to find closure after accepting my grandfather’s death and for me to find a way to remember him. In the creation of the story and script, the five stages of grief model proposed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was referenced to help create emphasis on the regrets and grief I was feeling at the time. Coming to think of it, I realised that I have accidentally used psychoanalytic theories created by Sigmund Freud when I was writing the script of Mantle. Other than my personal objectives, I hope that this movie can also give the audience closure if needed.