woo presents: Feel Good Films - ephwaipi - two girls' vision for the future

Set amidst the busy happenings of life in urban Hong Kong, this short shows two young women putting forward their disruptive vision for change

Set amidst the busy happenings of life in urban Hong Kong, this short shows two young women putting forward their disruptive vision for change

By Team Woo24 Nov 2022
2 mins read time
2 mins read time

Welcome to woo's Feel Good Films, a collection of short films from young up and coming creatives and directors from around the globe. woo's Feel Good Films have been curated to make you feel happy, energised and creatively inspired.

Two young women, one shared dream to break away from society to become who they truly are. That's what ephwaipi, the debut short film from Hong Kong-based creatives Candice Ng and Kitty Yeung, is all about. Set against a trippy backdrop of electric inner-city life, neon-spattered streets and brightly-coloured clothes, the film sees two young girls decide to take charge of their own destiny by rejecting the social norms holding them back from happiness.

The short begins with depictions of women's oppression. First, a sermon emphasising the importance of chastity and the crippling weight of sexual conformity; second, women in dreary, lightless flats being confined to servitude within domestic life and then, the two women being told to accept that they will be underpaid, undervalued and stuck in student debt. Set against intimidating cityscapes with '80s style synths behind, it's looking bleak. That is, of course, until the duo decide that they want (and deserve) better.

"We, the representatives of the United States of Strong Independent Women, appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world," they declare. The film asks us to reconsider the very social conventions that affect and construct our daily lives, as the story follows the girls as they embark upon discovering a better world. But this is no typical coming-of-age narrative – in fact, the project attempts to freeze time and celebrate the beauty of youth. Because being young means being full of aspiration, being bold enough to dream and being able to form our own disruptive ideas to challenge the status quo. The film inspires us to follow in their footsteps. After all, just one conversation might just have the power to change the world.

Power – freedom – hope: ephwaipi symbolises all this and more. Allow Ng and Yeung to take you through a journey of inspiration, friendship and enlightenment.

More feel good films