Too much reality? Reflections on the educational-observational film world of Tammy Cheung and Augustine Lam

Abstract

My article reassesses the direct cinema documentaries of respected and influential documentarians, festival organizers and documentary teachers Tammy Cheung and Augustine Lam in the light of the profound changes Hong Kong has experienced since their work was produced and distributed in the first decade of the new millennium. The present commentary on their body of work is conceived primarily as a critical retrospective, although it seems highly like they will continue to make films in self-imposed exile related to the new Hong Kong diaspora. In this article I am interested in tracing a through-line in their work and connecting the subject-matter of their sociological documentaries with the profound changes that have taken place in Hong Kong society and culture over the past few years.