The 2nd Fresh Wave Short Film Competition, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, announced its results yesterday.

Out of the 19 film productions, Merry X'mas, directed by Mr Jevons Au, won the Fresh Wave Award and the Best Film Award (Open Group). He will be granted the chance to take part in the New Talent Camp of the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.

Merry X'mas features a little girl from the underprivileged class on how she makes money by collecting and selling discarded paper for the x'mas gift exchange event at school, and how she is bullied in school. Jevons's work is praised for its truthfulness and ingenuousness. He is able to demonstrate a good command of the film language.

Graduated from the Directing Department of the School of Film/TV of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Jevons has directed a number of independent shorts and videos. Among his works, Hung won the Best Film Award at the 7th Cross-Strait, Hong Kong and Macau Student Film and Video Festival and Taxi was selected for competition for the Another Connection section at the 15th Hungary Mediawave International Film and Music.

Also on the awardee list of the 2nd Fresh Wave Short Film Competition are Without My Mum, There Won't Be Me, directed by Mr Po Ka-wai of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Kwun Tong), who won the Best Film Award (Student Group). The Best Creativity Award (Student Group) went to Tracking by Mr Cheng Kai-ming of the City University of Hong Kong while the Best Creativity Award (Open Group) went to Walking Forward by Mr Chan Wai-bun. The three winners will have the chance to attend other international film festivals for exchange.

The Competition aims to encourage and foster professional development of filmmaking among aspiring young people with potentials and interests on filmmaking.