The Flow of Shadows

Hing Tsang

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United Kingdom

English

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Hing Tsang Director
José Navarro Key Cast

"The Flow of Shadows" is an experimental film using a special type of shadow puppetry, performed by the Anglo-Peruvian puppeteer, José Navarro. Using translucid puppets that both cast shadows and emit light, "the Flow of Shadows" combines ancient manual technique with the layering of digital superimposition. Both ancient and more contemporary visual forms are combined to convey the feeling of a flowing river and the lifeforms that accompany the flow.

The film is also broadly rooted in pre-Columbian indigenous culture of the Amazon, in which animals possess both spirit and agency. The cosmological patterns of traditional craft were also a source of inspiration for digital composites that drive the film forward, and are a background for the movement of different species.

Yet the film is also contemporary in flavor, engaging with the themes of ecology and industrialization. Amidst the destruction of habitats "The Flow of Shadows" is a reminder of the presence of life and potential hope for the future.

Hing Tsang is a filmmaker and teacher based in Ipswich, working at the University of Suffolk. He was trained as a documentarist and is the author of “Semiotics and Documentary Film”, alongside numerous articles about documentary, fiction and experimental practice. He has collaborated for several years with Jose Navarro, an Anglo-Peruvian mime and puppetry artist. Previous collaborations have been seen in festivals across Asia, Latin America and Europe. Hing Tsang’s work incorporates elements of both experimental and documentary filmmaking.