May 2016 – FilmAid Gala: From Sham Shui Po to Wall Street

At FilmAid Asia’s fourth annual gala dinner, our founder delivered a speech on behalf of the ChickenSoup Foundation to raise funds for a new movie production training program for our underprivileged students.

Founded in 1999 by award winning producer Caroline Baron, FilmAid uses the power of media to raise awareness on global social issues, and to provide life-saving information via films to refugees and illiterate communities. They developed projects in East Africa, Haiti, Thailand, Vietnam, in reaction to international major crises. FilmAid has over 80 institutional partners and donors, including Google, American Express, Louis Vuitton, Warners Brothers, 20th Fox Film, Walt Disney, Sony Pictures and Blackstone Group. The 18-member Global Artist Council includes Robert De Niro, Rory Kennedy, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Daniel Wu and Donnie Yen.

This is the speech delivered by our founder:

“Growing up I was a nobody. My childhood home was Sham Shui Po, a neighborhood that now has the highest density of subdivided flats and caged homes, shamefully crowned as the new landmark of Hong Kong.

However I was given many opportunities by my parents, the biggest being a college education. I was also inspired by Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen in the movie Wall Street. I somehow landed a job on Wall Street. Today, I am still a nobody. I’m just someone who spends time on philanthropy and three years ago I started the ChickenSoup Foundation.

ChickenSoup Foundation heals the mind, soul and body of the underprivileged. Today, we are serving more than 1000 students throughout HK whose households have little to no disposal income. Imagine a world where the MTR is too expensive, so you must walk to get around the neighborhood—where you feel ashamed of being branded as poor.

On a daily basis, we give them a helping hand on the very basics in education and medical care. We also hope to inspire them to exit from their current hardship. With FilmAid, we have been bringing film experiences into the neighborhood to inspire these kids.

It may only be the latest cartoon shown on the big screen with popcorn. But the social impact is far-reaching. More than a free movie, it’s a rare occasion for these kids to have fun together and share an experience full of emotion. Film opens up a whole new world that they cannot imagine. Thanks to those who supported the last two gala dinners, we are proud to report that close to 40 screenings, or on average once a month, have been done for 1400 kids.

For the next few years, we together with FilmAid plan to make a life-changing impact on these kids by sharing with them the skills and knowledge used in movie production, from scriptwriting, to directing, to acting, to wardrobe styling, to simply holding the boom and being part of something. Such an experience gives them the confidence to have a voice, while it may pave the path to a potentially rewarding career. As Cissy Wang emphasized when she visited ChickenSoup, it takes more than just her husband Donnie Yen to make a film.

ChickenSoup would like to thank FilmAid for using the power of film to inspire and educate these kids, who just need one opportunity to change the course of their future, which is more hopeless than you can imagine. Special thanks to our core donor Mr. and Mrs Luo who came from China to support us here tonight.

So whether you think you’re a somebody or a nobody, I hope everybody here tonight will give generously to support our work. Or instead of giving, consider it as sharing or even better as an investment. When these kids are empowered one day, like myself today, they will change their life or many more. Let’s drink and start investing!“