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Academy of Film receives $300,000 from Weeds on Fire team in support of student projects

The production team of Weeds on Fire, a film directed by alumnus Steve Chan and written by alumnus Yellow Wong, donated HK$300,000 to the Academy of Film (AF) of the School of Communication to support students to produce their graduation projects.

The team held a celebration dinner on 1 May to pay tribute to the production crew, film veterans, teachers and students from HKBU who provided generous support throughout the film production. To express their gratitude for the assistance they received from AF, Mr Steve Chan and Mr Yellow Wong presented a cheque on behalf of the production team to the Academy. With the provision of equipment and facilities by AF, they managed to produce the film with a high-level of competence even though the film budget was limited. They also thanked AF for providing professional and solid film education which enhanced their capability in pursuing their aspiration in filmmaking.

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roland Chin is very pleased with the success of the film Weeds on Fire and the contribution of the production team. He thanked the team for the support which is a great encouragement to AF students as they strive to realise their dreams and goals. He said the success of Weeds on Fire not only demonstrated the creativity of HKBU students, but also showcased the staunch support from the University community to its students and alumni. He also expressed gratitude to the team for giving valuable opportunities for HKBU students to participate in the production process, for example, the orchestra of HKBU’s Music Department helped perform the film score.

Both Mr Chan and Mr Wong are 2012 graduates of AF. Their team won in the Higher Education Group of the 1st First Feature Film Initiative and was awarded HK$2 million from the Film Development Fund to turn their idea into a feature film. In August 2016, Weeds on Fire was commercially released in Hong Kong. Apart from achieving success at the box office, the film also scooped the Best New Performer and the Best Original Film Song prizes at the recent 36th Hong Kong Film Awards.

	Acting Director of AF Professor Eva Man (second from left), Founding Director of AF Professor Cheuk Pak-tong (third from left) and Programme Director of Higher Diploma in Creative Film Production Mr Norman Chan (left) receive a cheque from Mr Steve Chan (third from right) and film producers Mr O Sing-pui (second from right) and Mr Chan Hing-ka