Movies are the most common form of entertainment that everyone comes into contact with. Exciting action films, endless laughter from animated cartoons, and touching love stories are all must-see choices. However, realistic documentary films have never been on the list of choices. Local documentary director Wong Siu Pong wants to change everyone’s heavy perception of documentaries and has created a documentary concept store SINCE Concept Store, encouraging everyone to document life and find a healing outlet from a new perspective outside of movies.
// From documenting the palm mirror to encouraging recording //
Wong Siu Pang has been engaged in documentary filmmaking for 10 years. His first documentary, “Not Fish,” focused on “single non” and “double non” students. He subsequently filmed “Extension” and “Accompanying,” with “Extension” representing Hong Kong at the 14th Venice International Architecture Biennale. “Accompanying” became the annual recommended work of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. However, despite the professional recognition of his work, for the general public, these films exploring livelihood issues feel quite heavy. Under endless life pressures, discovering heaviness again, if unable to bear it, they would rather choose to ignore it.
“The 100-minute documentary feels serious, but it is actually a window and shortcut to help you read the world, exploring complex issues through people’s stories,” as a documentary director, of course, understands the seriousness in it. To change everyone’s perspective on this, he came up with the idea of narrowing the scope of “documentation,” starting with documenting oneself and understanding oneself first, in order to understand society and the world. It is this heart of promoting documentaries that has transformed Wong Chi-bong from a director into the owner of the documentary concept store SINCE Concept Store, along with his partner, an art therapist, encouraging everyone to learn about documentation and understand the beauty of documentation within this small store hidden in the city.
// Write down your feelings, exchange your thoughts //
At SINCE Concept Store, there is a corner called “Sharing Secrets,” which is the beginning of encouraging everyone to record. This spiritual corner originated from a collaboration between director Wong Siu Pang and a local artist. At that time, they invited a group of young people to write love letters in Sheung Wan and post them in different places, allowing the emotions buried in their hearts to be conveyed to strangers they had never met, expressing their inner feelings in a pressure-free environment. The positive response to this project prompted director Wong Siu Pang to bring this “recording” concept to SINCE Concept Store, creating a small corner for everyone to exchange letters of secrets.
“The original intention of encouraging record-keeping in small shops is to express emotions and understand oneself better through written words. Before you leave your worries behind, you will receive a letter from a stranger, where you may encounter someone who has had similar experiences and feelings as you, finding some comfort. Here, exchanging secrets with strangers is different from getting to know a pen pal; everything in this corner is an anonymous private record. When you read content you never imagined, you may coincidentally meet a fellow traveler or interact with a life you have never encountered. Whether it’s a sense of support from fellow wanderers or empathy for trying to understand others’ scars, it all comes from the emotional connection in recording difficult lives.”
// Personal extension and expansion //
As a documentary concept store, SINCE Concept Store naturally has a large selection of curated film elements, including documentary DVDs and posters from around the world, as well as screenings of various documentary clips. In addition to films, the store also offers other curated items such as books, accessories, and even stationery.
“In many foreign documentaries, they often recommend books on related topics, allowing viewers to have a deeper understanding and engage in further discussions after watching the film. Apart from books, I also introduce selected items related to different social issues. For example, I have previously filmed documentaries about people with disabilities, so I include handmade daily necessities created by them. This allows everyone to understand and interact with people and things in society from different perspectives, absorbing alternative education and nourishment at SINCE Concept Store. This is the spirit of documentary discovery, an extension, as well as a way to inspire and broaden our horizons.”
// Record and face the heaviness //
After getting used to recording, maybe you will fall in love with exploring the connection between life and community in documentaries, but do you know how to face the heaviness brought by documentaries? “Most documentary workers have witnessed a lot of suffering and have a certain resistance to the imbalance in society, but there are also many predecessors who have depression problems, accumulating negative emotions that do not belong to themselves in the in-depth exploration of issues. I have never looked at the world with a very positive attitude. How to deal with oneself in the world is what I care more about. I learn wisdom from suffering, use a learning attitude to understand this society. If you are not suitable for understanding, do not force yourself to understand. The deeper you dig, the more painful it is. If you choose to understand suffering, you must learn how to find inspiration in suffering.”
Just like director Wong Chau-Pang’s insight, facing various societal issues that Hong Kong people are powerless to change, the most important adjustment in attitude needed is to learn to understand oneself and find ways to alleviate worries within society, rather than allowing oneself to be trapped in a dead end.
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Producer: Vicky Wai
Editor: Candy Chan
Videographer: Andy Lee, Anson Chan
Photographer: Anson Chan
Video Editor: Andy Lee
Designer: Tanna Cheng
Special Thanks: SINCE Concept Store
