Documentary

“To Be Continued”

Director

Dora Choi, Haider Kikabhoy

2023

Year

Involved in

Motion Graphics

This project began as a passion pursuit for directors Dora and Haider a decade ago, sparked by their encounter with an extraordinary building in North Point, Hong Kong. Intrigued by its arch rooftops and quirky posters (including one of the Mona Lisa holding a grilled duck), they delved into researching the Empire Theatre. Their investigation uncovered the untold story of Harry Odell, Hong Kong's first impresario.

Empire Theatre

Quirky posters outside the architecture

Our primary obstacle was the scarcity of footage, as the events took place over 50 years ago when video documentation was uncommon.

We needed to creatively fill these historical gaps to bring the story to life.

We overcame the challenge of limited footage by unearthing many old newspaper clippings from the era. Utilizing these materials, we crafted dynamic cutout animations to breathe life into the static images.

Contrary to the perception of 1950s Hong Kong as dull, we aimed to showcase the era's vivacity through playful visual motions.

We created engaging visuals for pivotal scenes, such as Haider tracking down the great-grandson of Harry Odell through Amazon when he was shopping online and his persistent phone calls to 23 different places in search of Odell's descendants. 

Being able to work on this film is one of my biggest pleasures. To learn about my homeplace, and falling in love with it all over again, is an experience that I’ll never forget.

Director | Dora Choi, Haider Kikabhoy

Art Design | Joyce Lo, Helena CYC

Character Design | Helena CYC

Motion Design | Joyce Lo, Helena CYC

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