Winter Chants is the latest film from Hong Kong-based director Tsang Tsui-Shan, whose work explores the bonds between people and place. The film follows the preparations for the Tai Ping Ching Chiu Festival, which is held every ten years in the Hong Kong town of Ho Chung. As the festival, which means peace and light, is scheduled to take place in the winter of 2020, a committee is formed, and the director documents the four seasons leading up to the festival, starting with their first meeting. Their conversations and discussions reveal that they are concerned with more than just organizing an event. The festival is supposed to be a bridge between a decade ago and a decade later. However, the organizing committee and the villagers face unexpected challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit, and many people who have traveled abroad have not returned. In this situation, Tsang Tsui-Shan becomes both an observer and a participant, painting a portrait of Ho Chung, which is also her hometown. From the staging of the festival to the daily lives of the elderly, children, and residents working in the fields, these images intersect with footage from the past, evoking more than just nostalgia. It's a testament to the history of the people who have kept this small town's unique culture alive, and a promise for the next decade. In a time of disconnection where we are losing our sense of place and community, the peace and light that Winter Chants is able to capture is a small but precious comfort.