Mabel Cheung

It might have been a reluctant determination, however award-winning director Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting was proper to drag her movie To My Nineteen-year-old Self from public screening – at the very least in the intervening time – till all of the legit questions in regards to the 10-year-long manufacturing are correctly clarified.

Capturing of the movie started in 2011 as a documentary commissioned by Ying Wa Ladies’ Faculty as a part of its improvement undertaking.

Since then, the manufacturing has gone past the unique scope.

Former principal Ruth Lee Shek Yuk-yu would unlikely have anticipated the very long time taken to shoot the movie that was just lately marketed commercially as a “documentary” earlier than it was withdrawn from public screening amid a sea of controversy.

Apparently, inclusion of episodes chosen from the 2019 anti-government protests have made the themes, now adults, susceptible to public opinion.

After they agreed to participate within the manufacturing, they had been minors finding out junior courses. Their understanding was that they’d be a part of a manufacturing contributing to the college’s improvement for the long run.

The previous principal’s apologetic remarks on the college’s Fb web page could not have revealed every little thing in regards to the deal however it was sufficient to assist throw some gentle on how issues had developed throughout these years.

She mentioned: “I really feel so sorry that my determination has created a tough time for the college and college students.”

Arduous time?

It was reported that numerous the taking part women requested to choose out after taking pictures began however their requests had been refused.

In the long run, just one was reported to have efficiently stop taking pictures in secondary 5 – however not earlier than “crying for 5 years.”

Now I get it. If the reported account is true, I’d hesitate to simply accept To My Nineteen-year-old Self as a real documentary since unwilling topics couldn’t seen as true topics.

Public screening of the movie has given rise to many questions that beg to be answered.

First, what was the scope of settlement between Ying Wa and Cheung when Ying Wa invited the director, a college alumna, to make a documentary?

Second, whereas it’s most definitely that the fabric is owned by the manufacturing staff or these financing it, is the possession restricted and for outlined use solely? Often, such vital issues are supported by paperwork.

And now that it’s being commercially marketed regardless of being withdrawn briefly from cinematic screening, how will the revenues be shared – if the revenues are to be shared in any respect?

Including to the thriller was a declare by medal-winning bike owner Sarah Lee Wai-sze that she couldn’t recall having given Cheung any consent to insert interview footage of her within the movie.

Is Lee’s declare right? In response, Cheung asserted that, in 2011, the scholars had consented to the general public screening and she or he had obtained consent from the employees of the SAR’s biking affiliation in respect of Lee’s interview.

So far as complainants are involved, except extra is revealed the questions will proceed to hang-out the movie that was, paradoxically, topped Greatest Movie in final yr’s Hong Kong Movie Critics Society Award.