The nine-movie program includes contributions from Canada, the United States,
Taiwan, India and Hong Kong. The films are not only about sex workers but are
either made entirely by them or in conjunction with a director.
Yau, who teaches cultural studies at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, said that
mainstream filmmakers tend to take a "whore or Madonna" approach to depicting
prostitutes, painting them as either victim or predator.
She said she hopes to break such stereotypes by presenting a series of
documentaries that address the day-to-day realities of prostitution from the
perspective of sex workers.
"Very few films talk about their job specifically or their relationship with
society as a sex worker," she said.
Letting the subjects tell their own stories offers a unique viewpoint, Yau
said.
"They [prostitutes] try to support a family, just like other mothers, so their
self-perception, the level of self-respect is different," she said.
Among the offerings is "The Story of the Taipei Prostitutes," about a campaign
to fight a ban on prostitution in Taiwan's capital. Another short film outlines
the "sex worker's manifesto" drafted at the first National Conference of Sex
Workers in Kolkata, India, in 1997.
Two films revolve around pioneer sex worker activist Carol Leigh, who is
credited with coining the term "sex worker" and who founded the San Francisco
Sex Worker Film and Video Festival.
One obvious gap is the lack of films from mainland China, where unlike in Hong
Kong sex work is illegal. Curator Yau said she knows of underground films about
sex workers in China but didn't have the resources to bring them to Hong Kong.
Yau, who volunteered her services to Zi Teng, said the festival was organized
on a shoestring budget. Filmmakers donated their movies, and a friend offered
cheap printing services for publicity materials.
The films will be shown at Zi Teng's small office space that accommodates about
50 people, located in a run-down pink building that also houses an hourly
motel, or "love hotel."
Another obstacle has been what organizers allege is government harassment.
Zi Teng staff member Elaine Lam said the Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department called the group Monday ordering them to obtain a license for the
film festival, saying the public event turns its offices into an entertainment
venue.
Lam suspects bias, characterizing the film festival as a small-scale event that
doesn't justify a strict interpretation of the law. Organizers have sidestepped
the legal problem by asking ticket buyers to join Zi Teng, hence making the
film festival a private, members-only activity.
"A lot of groups organize film showings. Officials haven't tried to enforce the
law on them," she said.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said all movie showings open to
the public require a license.
"It is an offense to conduct cinematography display activities without a
license," a department statement said.
Sex work is not illegal in Hong Kong, but it is against the law to solicit for
business, or live off the earnings of prostitution of others.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press
