Ballad on the Shore

96 min., Hong Kong, 2017, Cantonese, Tanka Dialect with English Subtitles

As Hong Kong’s fate hangs in the balance on our TV screens, how moving it is to discover ‘Ballad on the Shore’, a lovingly made film from Hong Kong that explores the hyperglobalised cosmopolitan island’s real endemic roots through its songs of the sea. These are ancient fishermen’s ballads sung by delightful old singers; ‘sighing songs’ to serenade the grieving and the dead, and songs that chart maps of the coastline, ancestral heritage handed down from man’s simplest time to tell descendants of safe harbours and strong currents, where to anchor and where to fish. They sound a lot like a cross between traditional Nepali and Thai Isan lullabyes, reminding us that the original Hong Kong appears to be culturally closer to Southeast Asia—the SEA people of the South Sea, than to mainland China, and reveal a separate identity ages older than the arrival of the white man. You’ve never seen Hong Kong like this. (Alice Skinhead)

Director’s Biography
Ma Chi-hang (Machi)

He receives his B.A. in Fine Arts and M.A in Philosophy from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Attributed to the trainings on fine arts and philosophical thinking, his films have a thematic consistency on humanity and justice. Short films, Women Security Guard (2015) was awarded Silver Award in Incubator for Film and Visual Media (IFVA). Malinois Gaze (2016) made a presence in several film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrard Short Film Festival and Chinese Independent Film Festival. He moves on to directing his own feature films.

His latest documentary film, Ballad on the Shore (2017) is widely reputed for its poetic handling on a disappearing local fishermen culture. The film opens an active dialogue on the unconquerable vanishes of old cultures, attracting over 50 pieces of critic reviews and extensive media coverage. The film received Ethnomusicology film award (commendation) and Intangible culture film prize in 16th RAI film festival.

Director : Ma Chi Hang
Photographer : Wong Wai Nap
Montage : Cheung Pak Ming 
Design : Wong Chun Kok, AhKok
Sound Design : Tang Hok Lung; Ricky Yip
Producer : Fung Mei-wah, Yim Wai-ying