K-docs

The Whisper of Sunlight

Project Description

Director	WONG Siu-Pong
Producer	Catherine CHAN
Production Company	TWOS PICTURES
Contact	chantszki@gmail.com

Budget

Total	167,340 USD
Still Required	66,435 USD

Logline

In a 15-square-meter Hong Kong apartment, three generations of women grapple with a rare brain cancer that steals the light of their youngest — the granddaughter, forcing them to confront the shadows within themselves and their relationships.

Synopsis

After a divorce, a mother (Elaine) and her daughter (Ceci) attempted a fresh start at the grandmother’s (Lai-sim's) 150-square-foot Hong Kong apartment, as Ceci had just started university. But the family of three was soon trapped by the diagnosis of a rare brain cancer in Ceci, which could end her life in six months. As hope, companionship, and the vision of rebuilding her life faded away, coupled with the unaffordable cost of the experimental drugs, Elaine was under great burden and struggle. The glimmers of life reflect the lifelong shackles of women within their family.

Director's Statement

It has been over four years since I started filming this project, during which I have been contemplating my attempt to confront the death of Ceci, the young protagonist. Over these years, I have witnessed the journey of Ceci's mother, Elaine — from her successful quest to obtain the experimental drug from Germany, hopeful that it would be the way out of their predicament, to now hiding in the bottomless abyss of grief. I deeply understand and empathise with her experience.

However, when I faced Ceci's grandmother, Lai-sim, who is now in her 80s, I was intensely curious about her feelings when facing different situations — being kept in the dark about Ceci's condition, bearing the grief of losing her granddaughter without a proper goodbye, and worrying about her daughter's future. This sudden tragedy has reconnected this family in a small space, where three women, each harboring their own worries, went through an unforgettable ordeal together. Perhaps the long-awaited ray of sunlight, although shining on somewhere different, has always been near.

Their stories reflect the uncontrollable destiny of rare disease patients and their families, often hidden from the public eye in our society. As the experimental drug is not included in Hong Kong's drug formulary system, patients must pay for it themselves, impacting their livelihoods. These lesser-known rare disease patients often have their quality of life and chance to live overlooked in societal debates about the cost-effectiveness of government resources. I intend to make this film so the audience can understand their pain and situation, opening a dialogue about the worth of life.

	WONG’s documentary films include Fish Story (2013), Snuggle (2016) and 3cm (2019). His latest work Obedience (2024) was selected by Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam, and awarded the Jury Prize at Hong Kong International Film Festival Firebird Competition (Documentary).		Born and raised in Hong Kong, CHAN is an independent producer and audience designer. She currently splits her time between Hong Kong and Denmark, developing a start-up to support documentary film productions, from story development to distribution.
Director WONG Siu-Pong		Producer Catherin CHAN

The Whisper of Sunlight

💌 Contact: chantszki@gmail.com

Budget

Total	167,340 USD
Still Required	66,435 USD

Synopsis

After a divorce, a mother (Elaine) and her daughter (Ceci) attempted a fresh start at the grandmother’s (Lai-sim's) 150-square-foot Hong Kong apartment, as Ceci had just started university. But the family of three was soon trapped by the diagnosis of a rare brain cancer in Ceci, which could end her life in six months. As hope, companionship, and the vision of rebuilding her life faded away, coupled with the unaffordable cost of the experimental drugs, Elaine was under great burden and struggle. The glimmers of life reflect the lifelong shackles of women within their family.

Director’s Statement

It has been over four years since I started filming this project, during which I have been contemplating my attempt to confront the death of Ceci, the young protagonist. Over these years, I have witnessed the journey of Ceci's mother, Elaine — from her successful quest to obtain the experimental drug from Germany, hopeful that it would be the way out of their predicament, to now hiding in the bottomless abyss of grief. I deeply understand and empathise with her experience.

However, when I faced Ceci's grandmother, Lai-sim, who is now in her 80s, I was intensely curious about her feelings when facing different situations — being kept in the dark about Ceci's condition, bearing the grief of losing her granddaughter without a proper goodbye, and worrying about her daughter's future. This sudden tragedy has reconnected this family in a small space, where three women, each harboring their own worries, went through an unforgettable ordeal together. Perhaps the long-awaited ray of sunlight, although shining on somewhere different, has always been near.

Their stories reflect the uncontrollable destiny of rare disease patients and their families, often hidden from the public eye in our society. As the experimental drug is not included in Hong Kong's drug formulary system, patients must pay for it themselves, impacting their livelihoods. These lesser-known rare disease patients often have their quality of life and chance to live overlooked in societal debates about the cost-effectiveness of government resources. I intend to make this film so the audience can understand their pain and situation, opening a dialogue about the worth of life.