Art Beats Festival 24

reminiscence (Vanesse Tsang)

6min 54s – 16:9

Synopsis

reminiscence (2023) is a film about realization and the rebirth story of Serein and her daughter Camellia. Through a broken bracelet, Serein collapses, lost in her faded memories with her husband, Helios. The presence of Camellia not only comforts her with the repaired bracelet but also delivers the message that memories are not seen but felt by the heart. Nothing can depreciate cherished experiences, and soon the love surrounding us will steer us to fly high again.

Artist Statement

reminiscence (2023), let us take a glimpse of Serein’s ‘rebirth’ journey. Life is like reminiscence, ain’t no way that it would be easy for any of us, troubles come to find you and challenges will too. Serein is just like any of us, she had her happy and magical moments with her husband Helios and daughter Camellia. Now that Helios is gone, she has fallen from cloud nine, she is a bird with her wings taken away by fate. The broken bracelet represents Helios’ absence as well as Serein’s escapism from reality. Time is frozen in Serein’s eyes, all she ever does is reminisce all the time, trapped in her past. We’re all just like Serein, when life is tough, we tend to forget the good that is happening at present. As we grow, we are more likely to hide our emotions and pretend we are strong all the time. Camellia’s presence and her repairing the bracelet is the comfort we get from ‘the good’ only if we pay attention to the things around us. Camellia is the friends and families who give us a shoulder to cry on, she is the time that heals our broken hearts and wounds, who reassures us that we are going to be okay someday, and we can fly up high again.

The Crew

reminiscence (2023) is a short narrative film created by a group of film students from Lancaster University. The major crew members are as follows: Director Vanesse Tsang, Producer Yannie Ng, Director of Photography and co-screenwriter Yahan Hsu, Sound designer and co-screenwriter Yiran Li, and Editor Flora Ng. Taking on with a passion for creative storytelling, this short melodrama was an initial attempt in filmmaking for most of the members. With marvelous collaboration in delivering a heartwarming story about memories and dedicating themselves to cinema aesthetics, the team successfully brought reminiscence to various international film festivals, receiving 4 official selections and 1 special mention.