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Synopsis
In 2013, My Voice, My Life followed classes of students from three high schools for underprivileged kids and one school for the visually impaired as they embarked on a voyage of self-discovery through taking part in a musical production. Six years later, what kinds of lives are they leading now? My Voice, My Life Revisited goes in search of four of those students: Ah Bok, Coby, Sio Fan and Tsz Nok, charting their transformation and how they have grown over these past few years, as well as the challenges they are facing today.
My Voice, My Life Revisited Press Kit : Traditional Chinese | English
My Voice, My Life movie website : www.myvoicemylifemovie.com
A Sequel to My Voice, My Life
My Voice, My Life was released in 2014; six years have already passed. For Ruby Yang, making My Voice, My Life was a wonderful journey of music, film and life. She witnessed these young students turn around their lives, gradually grow up and discover their true selves. Although the film is now over, their lives are just starting. No one knows what will happen to them in the future.
Ruby Yang kept in touch with the cast of My Voice, My Life over those six years, often concerned about their lives. When she found out in May 2019 that Tsz Nok was planning to go on an eight-day study trip to Israel organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ruby felt it was time to shoot the sequel of My Voice, My Life to let audiences know how their lives had changed and what impact starring in the musical six years ago had had on them.
Meet the cast
Jason Chow (Ah Bok)
This self-confessed bad boy, who almost got himself expelled from school, turned his life around when he took part in the musical, The Awakening, making his parents so proud. Six years on, he’s left home and finding his own way in the world. Has he gone back being a rebel, or did he find his true calling?
Coby Wong
The Awakening turned out to have a profound impact on how this talented youngster saw herself in the world. As the star of the show, did her experience convince her to choose the bright lights of the stage after she left school? One thing’s for sure, her sister likes her a lot more now!
Sio Fan Lam
Blind since she was two, Sio Fan hasn’t let that stop her from doing anything she wants to do in life. From starring in the school musical to stepping onto a Broadway stage on a special trip to New York. “Sometimes you need to be the first to walk a path,” she says.
Curtis Tsz Nok Lin
Shy and serious, Tsz Nok moved the audience of My Voice, My Life to tears when he said: “All I’ve lost is my sight. I still have my life… I won’t give up because of my blindness.” In these six years, he’s faced many of his fears head on and embarked on a trip to Israel to trek the Jesus Trail in the wilderness. Back in Hong Kong, with Pepper his guide dog by his side, he feels he can do anything now.
Nick Ho
Back in 2013, Nick, who produced and wrote The Awakening, told his students that theater was a place of magic and emotion. He not only gave those young actors a chance to feel that magic and feel it change their lives, but it altered the way he saw himself as a teacher too.
Jason Chow
Six years on, he’s left home and finding his own way in the world. Has he gone back being a rebel, or did he find his true calling?
Coby Wong
As the star of the show, did her experience convince her to choose the bright lights of the stage after she left school? One thing’s for sure, her sister likes her a lot more now!
Sio Fan Lam
Blind since she was two, Sio Fan hasn’t let that stop her from doing anything she wants to do in life. From starring in the school musical to stepping onto a Broadway stage on a special trip to New York. “Sometimes you need to be the first to walk a path,” she says.
Curtis Tsz Nok Lin
In these six years, he’s faced many of his fears head on and embarked on a trip to Israel to trek the Jesus Trail in the wilderness. Back in Hong Kong, with Pepper his guide dog by his side, he feels he can do anything now.
Nick Ho
Back in 2013, Nick, who produced and wrote The Awakening, told his students that theater was a place of magic and emotion. He not only gave those young actors a chance to feel that magic and feel it change their lives, but it altered the way he saw himself as a teacher too.
Other cast members
Ben Fong
Also known as Ben Sir, he is the senior mobility instructor at Ebenezer School, as well as Tsz Nok’s teacher and friend.
Emily Chung
Music director for The Awakening, Emily still teaches music at Pui Ching Middle School and continues to use her love, patience and professionalism to help students find themselves through music.
Meiling Lun
A former music teacher at Ebenezer School, she trained Sio Fan, Tsz Nok and many other visually impaired children for their roles in musicals. Ms. Lun is now retired.
Other Youngsters of My Voice, My Life
The other youngsters who featured in My Voice, My Life also gained confidence and became more grown up from performing in The Awakening that year. Some of the kids went back to school to continue their studies, several got over their low self-esteem, planned to study abroad, while others completed their education and got jobs, embarking on life’s new journey.
Ben Fong
Also known as Ben Sir, he is the senior mobility instructor at Ebenezer School, as well as Tsz Nok’s teacher and friend.
Emily Chung
Music director for The Awakening, Emily still teaches music at Pui Ching Middle School and continues to use her love, patience and professionalism to help students find themselves through music.
Meiling Lun
A former music teacher at Ebenezer School, she trained Sio Fan, Tsz Nok and many other visually impaired children for their roles in musicals. Ms. Lun is now retired.
Other Youngsters of My Voice, My Life
The other youngsters who featured in My Voice, My Life also gained confidence and became more grown up from performing in The Awakening that year. Some of the kids went back to school to continue their studies, several got over their low self-esteem, planned to study abroad, while others completed their education and got jobs, embarking on life’s new journey.
Director Ruby Yang
Born in Hong Kong, Ruby Yang settled in San Francisco early on and relocated to Beijing in 2004. Her film, The Blood of Yingzhou District, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in 2007; The Warriors of Qiugang, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short in 2011; while in the same year she was invited to be a jury member for the Academy Awards.
She directed the documentary My Voice, My Life in 2013. Her 2016 film, In Search of Perfect Consonance, on the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO), followed more than 100 young musicians from many different countries and regions in Asia as they broke through the barriers posed by nationality and language in the search for perfect harmony. It was a moving story of deep bonds and conveyed a message of peace and friendship through music. For her 2018 film, Ritoma, she travelled to a high-altitude village located on a plateau more 10,000 feet above sea level in Gansu province, to show how Tibetan nomads are dealing with the clash and combination of the traditional and modern in their lives.
Ruby Yang continues to make films and teach in Hong Kong. In 2013, she was appointed by the University of Hong Kong as a Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities. In 2015, she was given an Honorary Fellowship by the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. She founded the Hong Kong Documentary Initiative, which aims to nurture the next generation of documentary filmmakers in the region. Some 13 documentary films have been produced or are in production under the project. In May 2019, the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards named her Artist of the Year for Film.
Presenter: Lee Hysan Foundation
Established in 1973, Lee Hysan Foundation is a private family foundation with the mission of building a better Hong Kong. For over 40 years the Foundation has actively supported meaningful and impactful charity initiatives in Hong Kong, covering various sectors including (i) Education, (ii) Social Welfare and Health, (iii) Arts and Culture, and (iv) Environment.
Over the years, Lee Hysan Foundation has been a staunch supporter of the development of documentary production and filmmakers in Hong Kong. The Foundation is also a strong advocate in integrating arts education and character building. In a bid to raise awareness on supporting less privileged youth and the integral role of arts education in personal development, the Foundation funded the documentary My Voice, My Life in 2014. Six years flew by, Cecilia Ho, President of the Foundation, has witnessed how the young people featured in the film have grown and matured, “The Foundation decided to join hands with Director Ruby Yang once again to make a sequel ‘My Voice, My Life Revisited’, so that the audience can follow the true stories of these young adults’ transformation. It is especially rewarding to see how art has planted a seed in their hearts, helped them nurture positive values and attitudes, and cope with different challenges in life.’
Special Thanks to L plus H Creations Foundation for providing
the footage from My Voice, My Life to be used in making My Voice, My Life Revisited.
Contact
A Chang Ai Media Project production (2020)
Email：mvmlhk@gmail.com
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