Media

“Know About Death, Learn About Life” Short Film Competition 2012 Screening & Award Ceremony

19 Aug 2012

Screening & Award Ceremony of the "Know About Death, Learn About Life" Short Film Competition was held today (19 Aug 2012) at the Rayson Huang Theatre, University of Hong Kong. Over 300 audiences including students from local schools, representatives from various non-government organizations, renowned filmmakers and members of the public attended the event.

The Competition was jointly organized by the Centre on Behavioral Health, HKU and website Hospicehome.hk, and co-organised by the Education Bureau and Hospital Authority. It was fully sponsored by the Li Ka Shing Foundation "Heart of Gold" Hong Kong Hospice Service Program.

The Competition was the first of its kind to adopt the theme “morality” with an aim to guide Hong Kong people to explore and reflect on their views and attitudes towards morality, as well as to increase awareness of hospice and palliative services. The competition has attracted more than a hundred entries from students and members of the general public.

At the ceremony, 15 short films voted by the public (top 5 of each age-category) were screened. Ms. Ho Kit-wah, Senior Inspector of Guidance and Discipline Section of the Education Bureau); Dr. Liu Hing-wing, Director of Quality & Safety Division in the Hospital Authority Head Office and Professor Cecilia Chan, Associate Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU officiated at the ceremony. Competition adjudicators Mr. Stephen Chan Chi Wan, CEO of Commercial Radio Hong Kong;  documentary filmmaker Ms. Tammy Cheung, artist Ms. Annie Liu On Lai and film, video and sound artist Ms. Anson Mak Hoi Shan shared with audience their views towards the award winning films. Twenty-one awards were presented, including the “Most Captivating Award”, “Professional Recommendation Award”, 3rd Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up, 1st Runner-up, and Champion for each age-category.

The Centre on Behavioral Health thanked the Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Education Bureau for their support to the event. The Education Bureau attaches great importance in the values of “respecting and cherishing life”, and is actively promoting the Healthy School Policy with a view to helping students achieve favorable physical, psychological and social well-being so as to enhance students' ability to cope with adversity. Since 2008, the Li Ka Shing Foundation has been collaborating with the Hospital Authority to set up hospice daycare centres across ten public hospitals in seven clusters to ease the physical and emotional suffering of the terminally ill, and to provide them and their families with comprehensive palliative care services. In 2011, as part of the expanded programme, the Li Ka Shing Foundation has also launched the HospiceHome website (www.hospicehome.hk), creating a one-stop platform for hospice service information and interaction. Implemented in partnership with the Centre on Behavioral Health of the University of Hong Kong, the website aims to provide an online platform for learning about various hospice services and palliative care knowledge, while facilitating communications and interactions among cancer patients, their families, medical staff and volunteers. Cancer patients and their families can also make use of various interactive self-help tools and life review exercises that would help them find peace and solace in the face of illness and adversity. Moreover, members of the public can provide comfort and care to those in need by sending them words of encouragement through the website, empowering them to become active supports of cancer patients and their families without the restriction of time and location, and ultimately creating a more caring and compassionate society of Hong Kong.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms. Amy Choi (Centre on Behavioral Health), HKU (tel: 2831 5163; email: amychoi@hku.hk ), Ms. Michelle Tam (Centre on Behavioral Health), HKU (tel: 2831 5215; email: myjtam@hku.hk ).