The Sea Within
Fishermen couple Ah Shing and Mei-wah, having lived from boat to shore, stayed together for most of their lives. After their son grew up, they have different visions towards the rest of their days. Ah Shing insists on fishing amid the decline of the local fishing industry. Mei-wah works as a factory worker and wishes for a more stable life. Even when there are subtle and profound changes in their relationships due to the different views, their affections for each other never stopped and they still support each other. This story is based on the real-life experience of my parents, and they play their own character in the film.
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Wong Wai NapDirector
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Wong Wai Nap, Ho Tze KiWriter
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Ho Tze KiProducer
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:30 minutes
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Completion Date:November 30, 2014
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Production Budget:6,500 USD
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Country of Origin:Hong Kong
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Country of Filming:Hong Kong
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Language:Chinese
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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2016 (ifva) Incubator for Film and Visual media in AsiaHong Kong
February 27, 2016
Gold Award -
2015 China Independent Film FestivalNanjing, Beijing
December 26, 2015
Best Short Film Award -
2015 South Taiwan Film FestivalTainan, Taiwan
November 16, 2015
Jury Award -
2014 Fresh Wave International Short Film FestivalHong Kong
December 14, 2014
World Premiere
Best Film Award, Fresh Wave Award -
2016 Slamdance Film FestivalPark City, Utah
January 22, 2016
U.S. Premiere -
2016 Arpa International Film FestivalLos Angeles, CA
United States
November 6, 2016
International Short Competition -
2015 Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal, Canada
September 2, 2015
International Premiere -
2015 Cairo International Film FestivalCairo, Egypt
November 14, 2015
African Premiere -
2016 Busan International Short Film FestivalBusan
April 22, 2016 -
2016 Toronto Reel Asian International Film FestivalToronto
Canada
November 1, 2016 -
2016 Montecatini International Short Film FestivalMontecatini
Italy
October 1, 2016
International Competition -
2016 Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival for Expanded MediaStuttgart
January 14, 2016
European Premiere -
2016 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film MarketClermont-Ferrand
February 11, 2016 -
2015 World Film Festival of BangkokBangkok, Thailand
November 19, 2015 -
2015 Chinese Young Generation Film ForumWuhan, China
December 14, 2015 -
2015 Kaohsiung Film FestivalKaohsiung, Taiwan
November 1, 2015 -
2015 Hong Kong International Film FestivalHong Kong
March 29, 2015 -
2016 New York Hong Kong Contemporary Film FestivalNew York
United States
July 17, 2016 -
2015 Hong Kong Independent Film FestivalHong Kong
January 10, 2015 -
2016 Hong Kong Salento International Film FestivalHong Kong
May 11, 2016 -
2016 Shenzhen Fringe Film FestivalShenzhen
China
December 1, 2016 -
2015 Macau Independent Film FestivalMacau
November 29, 2015 -
2016 Macao International Documentary Film FestivalMacao
China
December 1, 2016 -
2015 The Pearl River Delta Ecocinema FestivalHong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou
September 22, 2015 -
2015 Kuan Du Film FestivalTaipei, Taiwan
October 4, 2015
Wong Wai Nap was born in Hong Kong in 1986, graduated from School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong; his works Walker (06), Distance (08) and Be With You (09) has participated in many international film festivals. Selected by the Golden Horse Film Academy in 2012 as one of the playwright-director, co-directing the film Xiao Ju Li (Distance) (12), which was showcased in Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Latest work: The Sea Within (14).
The Story is about my parents and family. In the recent years, I have been working on a documentary project about local fisherman's chants. During the production, I heard many stories that make me review my identity, which inspired me to record my parents' nowadays life. Their living seems dull, but full of invisible waves. Facing social changes, they struggle with reality and their livelihood diminishes. At the same time, the couple's affection changes subtly and profoundly.