Movies are always attractive and fascinating, making us addicted in the scenes and sound effects. A 24-year-old Indian young man, Rizwan, has desired to become a director since he was a child. As an introvert, he bashfully told us the meaning of movies to him, ‘I hope my films connect with my life and I can express my thoughts through videos.’
Aspiring to be a director since childhood
Rizwan likes watching movies since he was a kid, which made him eager to create his own works. His first ‘film’ was a vlog shot by the computer camera when he was 12 or 13 years old. His parents learnt that he was interested in shooting videos, so they bought him a small camera. Although the videotaping equipment was simple, Rizwan was still passionate about creating different content. Since then, he has staged many short clips by himself. He has also self-learnt editing and dubbing videos and has put his works on YouTube to share them with others.
As an Indian Muslim, this interest may not be understood by others. ‘Some people with this religion will reject it, suggesting that it is not a good thing. They still think it is not good even though there’s nothing violating our religion doctrines in the movies.’ He said that his family is more open-minded and shares the same hobby of watching movies with him. Sadly, they think he should take filmmaking as a leisure activity instead of entering the film industry. ‘They’d like me to find a full-time job with nice and stable income.’ Upon graduation from secondary school, Rizwan chose to study architecture, in which he found no interest after a year of study. Also, he could not cope with the stress from studying. After getting scholarship from CLAP@JC, his families started believing in Rizwan’s talent and passion about film production. With his family’s support, he transferred to media studies.
Start filmmaking with sponsorship
While contemplating his future career path, Rizwan joined the career & life planning programmes co-organised by The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BGCA) and CLAP@JC under his friend’s recommendation. Moreover, recommended by social worker Stella, he applied for the ‘Dare to Achieve: Strive for a Different Life’ Award Scheme and was awarded to start shooting his first movie work ‘FAQIR’ with sponsorship. The plot is about trauma and struggle of adolescents who are drug addicts. After completing the production of this film, Rizwan had the opportunity to hold a screening, in which his family and friends were invited to watch his work. He also shared his thoughts in a post-screening Q&A, which made it unforgettable for him.
Rizwan is keen on joining various activities. The participation allows him to develop a clearer view of his direction and meet like-minded friends who accompany him in the journey of dream pursuing. He once served as a tour guide in a cultural guided tour and met Pong Yat Ming, one of the activity tutors. Both of them like movies and thus, become acquainted with each other. Being mentor of Rizwan, Yat Ming’s team gave feedback to and translated subtitles for some Rizwan’s videos, and helped organise film screenings. Rizwan, who is introverted, opens his mind after numerous occasions and meets plenty of local friends. ‘I don’t have to worry about that people do not welcome me or have biased against me here. I won’t say I’m very confident in communicating with others now, but surely, I’m more confident than before.’
Social worker witnesses his growth
Social worker Stella got to know Rizwan in 2017 and has witnessed his growth since then. She thinks he has become more confident. She feels happy for Rizwan as he insists on creating content of videos and pursuing his dream. She stated that sometimes it is not easy for teenagers to find aspirations and directions in life. Through holding various activities, CLAP@JC not only broadens teenagers’ horizons and let youngsters explore different possibilities, but also connects them with peers, mentors and different people from the community. She describes the journey of CLAP@JC as a ‘stepping stone’ for adolescents. ‘We hope to help the youth find aspirations and plan for the future. The completion of events does not mark an end – the relationships and networks built can be long-lasting, just like Rizwan and Yat Ming.’ Now, the second phase of CLAP@JC has promoted to integrate career and life planning as an essential part of youth’s development. Stella wishes to witness that different youth workers and community stakeholders continue to walk side by side with teenagers and help them plan their career development.
Looking at old photos at the computer, Rizwan joked that his appearance has not changed much. 5 years has passed. The boy who used to be timid and quiet is still shy, but when it comes to dreams, he firmly said, ‘I want to become a full-time director.’ Rizwan hopes to tell his story through lens from the perspective of an Indian young man.
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