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One of the signature events of the territory-wide anti-youth drug abuse campaign, the Anti-drug Short Film Competition 2008, was launched at Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) today (December 13).
Officiating guests included the Secretary for Justice, Mr Wong Yan Lung, SC; the Director of Broadcasting, Mr Franklin Wong Wah-kay; the Head of the Efficiency Unit, Ms Kitty Choi; the Commissioner for Narcotics, Ms Sally Wong; the Convenor of the Research Advisory Group on drugs cum designate Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN), Professor Daniel Shek Tan-lei; the Vice-President of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild (HKFDG), Mr Alex Law; the Vice-President of the Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild (HKSG), Mr Lai Man-cheuk; and Anti-drug Ambassadors Mr Leo Koo and Miss Karena Lam.
The competition is divided into two parts. The first part is the submission of the proposal and storyline of the short film and the second part involves the writing of script and the filming.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Mr Wong said he was pleased with the enthusiastic response, and found the storylines of high quality and the presentation creative. He said he believed that the special treatment and language used for young people in these anti-drug messages would resonate effectively.
The anti-drug short film competition is organised by the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau, the ACAN, RTHK and the Efficiency Unit, and was co-organised by the HKFDG and HKSG.
The competition comprises the open group and the secondary school divisions. Ten finalists for each division have been short-listed in the first part of the competition. The finalists will contend for the champion, the first runner-up, the second runner-up, the best short film, the best script, the best cinematography and the prize of "my favourite short film" which is voted for online.
Participation in the competition has been very keen. Sixty-seven entries have been received for the secondary school division and 37 for the open group division.
Members of the judging panel are the Chairman of the ACAN Sub-committee on Preventive Education and Publicity, Ms Scarlett Pong; the Principal Management Services Officer of the Efficiency Unit, Mrs Hedy Lo; Producers of RTHK Radio 2, Miss Tanner Lee and Mr Theo Shum; member of HKFDG, Mr Cha Chuen-yee, and the representatives of HKSG, Mr Cheng Kam-foo and Mr Lam Chiu-wing.
Through the competition, the organisers hope to encourage youths to engage in healthy activities and to provide them with an opportunity to show their talents while disseminating anti-drug messages through short films. To tie in with the competition, the organisers have arranged a series of workshops in which local filmmakers share their experience with the participants. Frontline social workers are also invited to share real cases of youth drug abusers with participants to inspire their creativity. The organisers hope that the participants will fully realise the dire consequences of drug abuse.
Ends/Saturday, December 13, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:50
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