HeForShe Summit on Women in Film in Hong Kong Higher Education 2019

4th May 2019 | The University of Hong Kong

The HeForShe Summit on Women in Film in Hong Kong Higher Education addressed the need to support women working in film production, research, and education in Hong Kong. It brought into dialogue the different ways in which male allies can contribute to alleviating gender inequality and bias in film in higher education in the territory. We were honoured to have Professor Leo Ou-Fan Lee, Sin Wai Kin Professor of Chinese Culture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong deliver the opening remarks, wherein he spoke about May Fourth and Its HeForShe Legacy.

The HeForShe summit is a follow up to a women’s summit we held on November 23, 2018. For more information on that event please visit this post: https://www.wsrcweb.hku.hk/post/women-s-summit-on-film-in-hong-kong-higher-education

Moreover, this conversation is an outgrowth of research Professor Gina Marchetti has conducted on women in Hong Kong cinema. For more information, visit the website: https://hkwomenfilmmakers.wordpress.com/

Key issues that were discussed include:

• Barriers to the advancement for women in Hong Kong higher education

• Lack of appropriate venues for the dissemination of film research and creative works by and about women in film

• Obstacles faced by women in the classroom as well as within the media industries

• Best practices for mentoring women in the profession

• Creation of inclusive environments that acknowledges the intersectional nature of differences that go beyond gender binaries

• Support for women on boards, panels, juries, and in other professional roles related to film culture

In addition to these points, the discussion touched upon the role men play in supporting women in their creative and academic pursuits with an eye to concrete actions that can be taken now.