Outside the Box [Office] and HKOSFF Present
 

The 3nd Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival screening of

HKOSFF Finalist Collection B + CHA GUO

5 Short Films, Including:

Short Story Long
White White
Blessed Are Those Who Grieve
A Foreigner, I Came, A Foreigner, I Leave
Cha Guo

Followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers

7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 9th, 2025

The Eileen Norris Cinema Theater at the Frank Sinatra Hall
3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVP REQUIRED.
RSVPs ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

FOOD AND DRINKS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THE AUDITORIUM.
 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Learn more about The 3rd Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival at: https://www.hkosff.net/
 

About the Films

SHORT STORY LONG

In the aftermath of the social movement in 2019, a large number of Hong Kongers immigrated to the United Kingdom. This film documents conversations between five pairs of strangers. They are separated by distance, yet connected by the same artistic pursuit in art, drama, film, literature, and music. As the seasons change, those who stay behind face further challenges to create art outside of the mainstream while the walls continue to close in on them. However, no future is guaranteed even if they leave.

Flipping through pages of Hong Kong and London, the participating artists talk to each other in their mother tongue with implications perhaps only they will truly understand. Among the most familiar yet unfamiliar places—a bridge, a rooftop, a cafe and a station, as different as night and day, they reveal their hesitation or expectation, disappointment or comfort, sorrow or possibly even a change of heart as the first light seeps into the sky.

Directed by Carrie Shen. Running time: 28 minutes. In Cantonese, with English subtitles.

WHITE WHITE

How can life go on when you lose the only person you love? After his girlfriend's disappearance, recent immigrant Jiu shifts his focus to her white potted plant. Despite his care, the plant withers daily. The film uses static long takes to explore Jiu's detached, stagnant life, addressing themes of loss, abandonment and solitude.

Directed by Carrie Shen. Running time: 29 minutes. In Cantonese, with English subtitles.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO GRIEVE

Blessed Are Those Who Grieve is a collective experimental short / essay film—a fragment of a surreal inner landscape. Two performers torment themselves with immense sorrow in sand and slime, while a narrator from Hong Kong, speaking in a dreamlike monologue, attempts to rename a trauma that has been forced into forgetting.

Through somatic exercises, the three creators explore the grief buried within their bodies. Gestures of grieving are captured through 3D scanning and transformed into digital copies so the two bodies become one, questioning how we can share our grief. 

In a third place beyond memory and reality, grief is born as a creature. Shaped by the embodied research of the creators, it transcends the digital/material realm, flesh, and language - transforming into a shared and liberated presence.

Directed by Zora Arose Ritz, Evgenia Chetvertkova, and Kayu Yeung. Running time: 14 minutes. In Cantonese, with English subtitles.

A FOREIGNER, I CAME, A FOREIGNER, I LEAVE

The narrator's recounting of a childhood memory and the reminiscence of an endless journey, which could take place anywhere between North-East Asia and Europe, or fictional countries, told in the form of a parable.

Directed by Waitan Chan. Running time: 14 minutes. In French, with English subtitles.

CHA GUO

Nestled between the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, housing some of high finance’s most creative
minds, and the gleaming glass and steel boxes of Shenzhen, China’s Silicon Valley where the
future is being built, lies a hidden world no less exceptional.

In this lost country backwater of mountains and vegetable fields, factories still manufacture soy
sauce in century old clay pots; Kenny hand makes concrete spacers that hold up some of the
world’s longest suspension bridges.

Directed by Daphné Mandel and Guy Bertrand. Running time: 37 minutes.

About the 3rd Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival

The Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival (HKOSFF) enters its third year, and once again, our team of volunteers is asking the same question: This year, what more can we do?

In 2025, the world is steeped in turmoil. Some look up and see missiles streaking across the sky. Some, lost and unsure of the road ahead, choose to retreat and disengage. Yet others, even in the face of hardship, continue to move forward with hope.

In the world of cinema, amid sweeping global changes and shifting viewing habits, Hong Kong film is enduring an unprecedented winter. But no matter how fierce the storm, Hong Kong’s filmmakers remain steadfast, doing all they can to keep the flame of this cultural legacy alive.

We often see others appearing unscathed under the sun, striving with all their might. Yet the vulnerability and emotions of those turned away from the light rarely enter the public eye. This year, the HKOSFF takes the theme “A Tale of Shadows,” hoping to share with you—through the unique lens of film—a world that may not be radiant, but is deeply human and filled with warmth.

Thank you for your continued support of Hong Kong On Screen. See you at the cinema this August!

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. The series draws from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here

To SUBSCRIBE to our MAILING LIST for upcoming free screenings and events, e-mail the word "Subscribe" to: aago@cinema.usc.edu
 

Check-In & Reservations

This program is open to all eligible individuals. The USC School of Cinematic Arts operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Accessibility Needs

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact Alessandro Ago, Assistant Dean, Programming and Special Events, at aago@cinema.usc.edu or 213-740-2330. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least seven days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

Parking

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited. We recommend buying a day pass for the Royal Street Structure, located at the intersection of Royal Street and W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking passes are $20/car. For more information about parking at USC, please visit USC Transportation Website:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu