Digital technology does lower the threshold for filmmaking but what significance does it have apart from enabling more people to realize their "dream" of making films? As the cost of filmmaking is reduced, filmmakers have less concern about the market and thus they can create films with more daring themes and structures. Lightweight equipment opens up a new visual experience for us. Lower cost is not a limitation, but rather a liberation from the industrial mode of filmmaking. A major characteristic of our selection of films this year is that the boundary between documentary and feature films seems to have blurred. We have chosen a young director, Midi Z, as our feature and we invited him to Hong Kong to share with us. While traditional production method is undergoing a transformation, ways of screening are also changing. Therefore, another breakthrough of our film festival this year is cooperating with Sangwoodgoon to organize the "Food and Farming Film Festival". We hope to extend our screening to communities and farmland. We will also continue our 'Set Your Own Price Screening' series and hold some of the screenings in Foo Tak Building. Among which are films by some young directors we have worked with in the past who are participating in this year's Fresh Wave Short Film competition. We hope to take this chance to introduce both their new and old works to the audience. Taiwan's Sunflower Student Movement prompted the making of a series of documentaries, "Sunflower Occupation". There are of course many people filming the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. On January 27, producers from these two places will come together to discuss the way forward for social movement and filmmaking. This year, director Julian Lee has left us. His 'Night Corridor' is not only an important work in the independent film industry but also a major first step of Ying E Chi in showcasing films in cinemas. This screening serves as our remembrance and tribute to Julian. Acquisition, distribution and venture capital financing are not where our strength and interest lie. It is still our firm belief that all a film festival needs are films, filmmakers, audience and the festival staff. A total of ten filmmakers from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and China will be attending this year's festival. It will be a gathering that treats films seriously, but also welcomes relaxed interaction. Citing Midi Z's view on independent production to conclude, "I think independent filmmaking is not about the lack of money, labor and resources. My understanding is that it is about the independence and liberation of creative thinking." Vincent Chui, Artistic Director of Ying E Chi ​ Screenings http://www.hkindieff.hk/programme.html Schedule http://www.hkindieff.hk/schedule.html