Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

Informally known as “the Oscars of the education sector,” this year’s Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition recently came to a successful conclusion. This year’s competitors received a total of 18 awards, including Gold, Silver, Bronze, Best Director, and Best Screenplay Award; these were given out at an awards ceremony held at The Cityview. Although no participants were able to attend in person due to the pandemic, the ceremony attracted an overwhelming response, with more than 100 people attending via Zoom and Facebook Live.

At the ceremony, the competition’s promotional ambassador Mr. Neo Yau, and an experienced film and television icon Mr. Joey Leung gave feedback on the entries, which followed this year’s theme, “Our Anti-epidemic Days.” Overall, they were impressed with the quality of entries received and thought that the students were able to realistically capture the story of Hong Kong’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic through their camera lenses.

Mini-movie-making has become a hit among young people in recent years, and has attracted more and more newcomers. In light of this growing interest, in 2013, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong started organising the annual Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition, hoping, through the production of mini-movies, to unleash the creativity of students and enhance their self-expression, teamwork, and problem-solving skills at the same time.

This year marked the seventh Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition, organised as usual by Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, Magna Education Centre and the Hong Kong Micro Movie Institute. Following the theme, the participating students were invited to create short films and animations about the feelings the COVID-19 pandemic has created in them, with the ultimate aim of promoting caring and positive messages to their peers and the general public. As in other years, the competition received strong support from the film industry, with the judging panel including veteran producer Mr John Chong; Dr Chung Man Keung and Mr Tsang Kwok Chi, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the the Hong Kong Micro Movie Institute respectively.

Mr Philip Poon, the Chairman of the Association’s Social Services Committee said in his remarks at the event, “Many of the finalists this year are real-life stories that were interpreted in narrative form. They are not only competition entries, they provide a record for Hong Kongers and ‘cheer up’ messages for every one of us.”

As always, the Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition received consistently enthusiastic responses throughout its duration. Unveiled through a series of workshops last September, the competition attracted several big names in the Hong Kong film industry, including experienced film and television screen practitioners, and sound technicians who shared various tips with students on how to improve the production quality of their work. The workshop series attracted a lot of participants who then went on to join the competition itself, with organisers receiving nearly 50 entries after the workshops.

The awards given out this year included Gold, Silver, Bronze, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Actors in both Senior High and Junior High school categories. Prizes worth over HK$65,000 were also given out and included cash coupons from Wing On Department Store, Kee Wah Bakery gift coupons, and ACX Cinema tickets. The winning film will be screened at ACX Cinemas in North Point, bringing the students' work to the big screen! The Gold, Silver and Bronze award-winning entries will also receive recommendations to participate in the student categories of various overseas film festivals.

Great job everyone, and keep making movies!

To celebrate the 120th anniversary of YMCA, the Association is organising the “YMCA 120th Anniversary Virtual Run For Better Life." Held from 1 May to 21 June in collaboration with Shatin Baptist Church, the run features two categories: a fun run and a challenge run. Participants need to complete a set distance during the event – over the course of several sessions, not all at once! The total fun run distance is 12km, while the total challenge run distance is 120km.

Everyone is welcome to join the event and celebrate with us – what’s more, the first 1,000 participants to register will receive a fabulous gift!

Event details:
Date: 1 May to 30 June
Venue: Around the Wu Kai Sha Youth Village and other optional routes decided by the participants
Categories: 12km fun run and 120km challenge run
Places: 1,200 participants
Registration period: open 12 April to 21 May
Registration fee: HK$120 (Youth category, under 18)

HK$150 (Individual category, aged 18+)
HK$250 (Parent/Child Group, per team)

Registration Links
Official Website
For enquiries, email:[email protected]

The Visual Arts Teacher Commendation Scheme organised by the Hong Kong Society for Education in Art aims to recognise the outstanding performance and ambition of local visual arts (VA) teachers. The results of this year’s scheme were recently announced, and it is the Association’s pleasure to congratulate Ms Lau Pui Sze, our Chinese YMCA Primary School supervisor, and Mr Szeto Chi Man, the school’s visual arts teacher. The pair both received the scheme’s “Award of Excellence.” Their teaching experience will be compiled into a book, and they will also be invited to share their experiences at several upcoming events!

The “Zurich Hong Kong Inter-School 3X3 Basketball Competition,” a major school basketball tournament, was held on 6 April. YMCA Secondary School sent two girls’ teams and one boys’ team to compete against 85 other teams. YMCA Middle School A team, composed of senior girls, took the first runner-up prize. After a series of fierce games, the three teams entered the Final 8, with YMCA Secondary A team, made up of senior high school girls, winning second place. Congratulations on these outstanding results!