Empowering Student Filmmakers Outside of Class: 40 International IB Film Teachers Participate in Hong Kong Film Workshop
Last week, 40 IB teachers from 15 countries gathered at Chinese International School in Hong Kong to participate in the first ISTA IB Film Workshop in the city. Babel Film Workshop founder, Jeremy Hung, led a Specialist Workshop for participants in Categories 1, 2 and 3 to provide insight on the opportunities Hong Kong students have to engage in film and media arts education outside of class, so that teachers can gain a perspective on the role of IB Film in students’ film journeys.
Participants represent schools from across Asia, including Afghanistan, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, as well as from Spain and the USA. The Category 1 and 2 workshops were led by ISTA Executive Director, Michael Bindon, and the Category 3 workshop was led by Sharon Lacoste McDonagh, IB DP Workshop Leader.
Through the Specialist Workshop with Jeremy, participants got an overview of how Babel Film Workshop students begin their film journeys through after-school activities from age 8, then progress towards the company’s other programs, including Film Stylo, Hollywood Hong Kong and Short Film Lab, as well as competitions associated with Babel Film Awards. They also previewed Babel Film Workshop’s first Short Film Lab project, Crushing, which is a professional student short film that has been selected for 10 film festivals worldwide.
For film teachers based in Asia, opportunities shared that are open to their students include:
Babel 48: A 48-hour film competition open to DP Film students in Asia.
Hollywood Hong Kong: A trip for international students to Hong Kong to create a film while experiencing the city’s cinematic culture.
Babel Film Awards: A prestigious awards show for narrative student films.
Film teachers in Asia who are interested in learning more about these opportunities and getting involved are welcome to contact Babel Film Workshop here.
