Elegies (film)
Elegies (Chinese: 詩) is a 2023 Hong Kong documentary directed by Ann Hui. The film features interviews with Hong Kong poets Huang Canran and Liu Wai-tong, along with archival footage of Xi Xi and Leung Ping-kwan, to explore the daily life of poets in Hong Kong and the city’s evolving poetry culture. Hui, who had long hoped to make a poetry documentary, revived the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting research from 2020 and filming from March to September 2021 in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Taipei with a small crew. The project was produced by PicaPica Media and distributed by Golden Scene, with William Chang handling color grading and Olivier Cong composing the score. Elegies runs 101 minutes and is in Cantonese and Mandarin.
The world premiere took place on 30 March 2023 as the opening film of the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival, and it opened in Hong Kong theatres on 23 November 2023. It received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards and was praised by critics for its intimate approach and thoughtful handling of its subject. Some reviewers noted that the film leans more toward personal reflection than a broad survey of poetry’s political context.
The film is divided into three parts. Part one includes interviews with Wai Yuen, Yam Gong, Deng Ah-lam, and York Ma, plus archival footage of Xi Xi and Leung Ping-kwan, discussing the nature of poetry and the distinctive character of Hong Kong poetry amid regional modernisms. Part two centers on Huang Canran, who moved to Shenzhen to escape Hong Kong’s high living costs, describing poetry as more important than fame and highlighting his focus on craft and artistic integrity. Part three follows Liu Wai-tong in Taiwan, where he balances literature, music, activism and teaching; the film includes his Celan lecture and references to his past social movements, as well as his connections with other Hong Kong poets living abroad.
Elegies presents poetry as a unifying, resonant force in people’s lives and uses a restrained, almost lyrical editing style to connect personal stories with wider cultural and political themes. The film has been shown at festivals such as Busan and Rotterdam, with international rights handled by Golden Scene. It screened in Taiwan in March 2024 and has also appeared in Malaysia and India. Douban rated the film 8.0/10 as of early 2024, while critics broadly lauded Hui’s craft, the film’s mood, and its portrait of a changing Hong Kong literary scene, though some noted its limited exploration of broader artistic freedom issues.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:06 (CET).