What About the Lunar New Year Spirit?
What About the Lunar New Year Spirit?
Lunar New Year traditions are often imbued with distinctive storytelling. M+’s fifth ‘What is Visual Culture?' talk looks at the cultural aspects and visual strategies of films, songs and popular culture during festivities, specifically the Lunar New Year.
The Lunar New Year celebration blossoms with sights and sounds—often loud, excessive, or even cheesy—that reflect cultural context, traditions and sentiments of our time and place. Beyond commercial intentions, there is a drawing power in festivities that can unite audiences. What are the similarities or differences found in different narratives of celebration? By looking at the ways we interpret and present festivities, what can we learn about our values?
Join screenwriter Au Kin Yee, and cultural critic Kenny Leung in this conversation. This free talk, held in Cantonese, will be moderated by M+ Associate Curator, Hong Kong Visual Culture Vennes Cheng. Simultaneous interpretation in English will be available. Click on ‘Register’ to sign up.
About the Speakers
Au Kin Yee has worked as a film screenwriter for over twenty years and was a member of the Milkyway Creative Team, working alongside directors such as Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai, and Yau Nai Hoi. Her writing credits include Running On Karma, PTU, Eye in the SKY, and Mad Detective. Au has written over twenty screenplays, including Lunar New Year comedies Fat Choi Spirit (2002), Love for All Seasons (2003), and Fantasia (2004).
Portrait of Au Kin Yee. Courtesy of the speaker. Photo: Ding Yunshan
Kenny Leung graduated from University of Hong Kong with a major in Media and Cultural Studies. He obtained his MA in Journalism from Chinese University of Hong Kong. Leung is a features reporter, cultural critics, and part-time university lecturer. Leung launched Wave, an online media platform on Hong Kong popular culture that specialises in data visualisation and profile writing in 2022.
Portrait of Kenny Leung. Courtesy of the speaker
Related Screening
Image at top: Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai. Fat Choi Spirit, 2002. Photo: Courtesy of Fortune Star Media Limited