HKU Female Student “Took Over” Senior Position of Local Cinema Circuit In Conversation with Award-Winning Actress Rachael Leung and Travel Writer Angel Ng Voicing out for Girls in Conflicts with Power of Movies

On 21 October evening, Ellie, the participant of Girls Takeover, together with the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress and the 21st HKAFF Ambassador, Rachel Leung, alongside travel writer, Angel Ng, and over 200 audiences watched the documentary No Other Land and attended the panel discussion, illustrating how girls and women get through the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Ellie Yuen, this year’s participant in the Girls Takeover activity organised by Plan International, comes from The University of Hong Kong. On 21 October, Ellie took over the positions of Director of broadway cinematheque and the Curator of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, orchestrating the screening of “No Other Land” at PREMIERE ELEMENTS. The event featured a panel discussion with the esteemed guests Rachel Leung, 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress and 21st HKAFF Ambassador, and travel writer, Angel Ng. During the discussion, they delved into the struggle girls and women faced under conflicts. Over 200 attendees gathered to support this event, experiencing No Other Land – the winner of the Berlinale Documentary Award, Berlin International Film Festival. In the coming November, Ellie will take on the role of Executive Director of MOViE MOViE and curate a selection of four movies in the “Beyond the Flames of War: A Chapter of Hope for Girls” series for release on MOViE MOViE channel. By exploring stories of how girls and women survive in hardship with the audience, she hopes to raise public awareness on this subject and make Girls Takeover more meaningful.

In the panel discussion, Ellie shared, “I hope that this selected film will allow the audience to more deeply experience the dilemmas people are facing in times of conflict. By fostering empathy across different races, we, as viewers, may be small in power, but with greater understanding and support, we can bring meaningful changes to them.”

After watching the documentary, the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress and 21st HKAFF Ambassador Rachel Leung shared, “most people see bombings and bloodshed in conflicts, yet, this documentary shows that people in conflict lack basic necessities like food, clean water, electricity, schooling and medical assistance. I encourage the audience to share thoughts on this issue with families and friends to bring about changes. Finally, I hope that all of us could treat others with equality, regardless of gender, race and age.”

Angel Ng, travel writer, (right) has traveled to Palestine before and shared her thoughts on female characters in the documentary, “The mother is tough, not only is she facing the war, she is also taking care of her paralyzed son, reflecting the perseverance inside women. I hope that we can explore and reflect daily lives in multiple angles after watching this film.”

Didi, Director of broadway cinematheque (left), was happy to partner with Plan International Hong Kong to hold the Girls Takeover activity. Through the documentary “No Other Land” and the panel discussion hosted by Ellie, the audience was able to have a closer look at the conflict and deepen their understanding on the issue. I appreciate Ellie’s efforts as she worked very hard for the panel discussion and I believe the audience has learnt a great deal from it.

Dr. Kanie Siu, the Chief Executive Officer of Plan International Hong Kong (left) shared her thought, “With current conflicts across the globe, girls, among civilians, are subjected to various threats including dropping out, child marriage, sexual violence, etc. This year, Ellie, the Girls Takeover participant wants to raise people’s awareness of the issue through movies, which is very meaningful. I am glad to see that Ellie is energetic and talented in advocating for girls’ rights.

To advocate for girls and children’s rights, Plan International has been organising Girls Takeover on 11 October (The International Day of Girl Child) every year since 2016, aiming to give girls and young women an opportunity to take up decision-making roles while advocating the rights other girls deserved and making lasting changes on social level.

The world is facing the largest number of conflicts since the Second World War, many girls and women are challenged by multiple threats, including sexual violence and exploitation. With the theme “Girls in Conflict”, this year’s Girls Takeover focuses on raising awareness for children and civilians in conflicts. Plan International Hong Kong is honoured to collaborate with broadway cinematheque and MOViE MOViE for the first time and have recruited Ellie, a local university student, as the participant. She is responsible for hosting a movie screening and panel discussion, and designing a thematic programme on a movie channel on her own, hoping to showcase women’s perseverance in times of crisis and challenges.