Rest is Pending (directed by Ng Ho-yin) is currently on show at the Hong Kong Pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice.

Film synopsis:

The sudden death of Ka-fai’s father leaves Ka-fai lost and confused. He is clueless about the funeral arrangements. After the cremation, Ka-fai walks down the hill against a stream of people all carrying fruits and other food, not for a picnic, but to visit their ancestors’ graves.

As cemeteries are ubiquitous in Hong Kong, there is even one just outside Ka-fai’s window, but still the city doesn’t have enough columbaria for its people. Ka-fai wants to settle all the funeral arrangements and make space in his apartment for his family of four. The biggest challenge is to find a place for his father’s urn – private columbaria are overcrowded, smaller columbaria inside old Chinese buildings are dodgy, and the best ones are usually overpriced, as the service has become yet another opportunity for local speculation. With the help of an agent, Ka-fai visits different cemeteries in Macau and Mainland China with Hong Kong people as their target clients.

Travelling through three cities, we see cultures, environments and interactions between demand and supply. The film expresses a humanistic concern for life and death in Hong Kong and its neighbouring cities through architecture. It also makes the observation that when it comes to the subject of urban mobility within the Delta, we are dealing not only with the living but also the dead.

Find out more about the Hong Kong pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice here.