Sassy Supports: FilmAid Asia

This weekend boasts one of the most glitzy charity events in Hong Kong, the annual Power of Film Gala 2014! Sponsored by Moët & Chandon and with a host of Hong Kong’s hottest celebs and socialites attending, this is going to be one glamorous evening. It might be easy to get swept up in the celebrity hype and the prestige of the event (yes, Jamie Campbell Bower of Twilight and other A-listers will be attending!), but it’s so important to remember what it’s actually all for.

How did FilmAid start?
Award-winning producer, Caroline Baron, founded FilmAid when she saw first hand the issues that communities in crisis faced during the Balkan crisis in 1999. Refugees encounter an overwhelming number of problems that we can only begin to imagine, and their lack of access to information can be life threatening. Caroline’s exposure to the language and literacy boundaries that further prevented much needed information from being accessed by refugees, inspired her to harness the power of film for a higher cause. Film offers a way to overcome these boundaries, and can educate as well provide a sense of hope.

What does FilmAid do?
FilmAid supports thousands of displaced people around the world, using the power of film to provide life-saving information on issues ranging from basic hygiene, malaria prevention and landmine awareness, to refugees and communities in need. Their ‘Mobile Cinemas’ are able to reach a wide audience who lack traditional media and information sources. In addition, FilmAid’s training programme not only gives people the chance to develop production skills, but also equips them with a sense of achievement and confidence that outlasts the trauma of displacement.

In Asia, FilmAid works on the Thai-Myanmar border, currently home to over 130,000 refugees from Myanmar. With film production programmes and educational screenings, FilmAid Asia continues to educate and provide support to this community, and in 2014 aims to extend the programme throughout all nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. FilmAid is dedicated to forging strong partnerships with donors, non-governmental and community-based organizations to achieve the best possible outcome for the communities.

This year, FilmAid Asia also launched a Hong Kong programme. They’ve partnered with the Chicken Soup Programme to provide underprivileged local children with privately hosted entertainment experiences, giving much needed psychological relief to a population whose development is seriously impacted by their restrictive living conditions.

FilmAid Asia also works with local students and filmmakers in order to explore the plight of the asylum seeker community in Hong Kong through the medium of film.

What can you do to help?
Apart from directly donating to this worthy cause here, you can also contact [email protected] about sponsoring or donating equipment and also volunteering your services. Each year, FilmAid Asia has managed to support more and more people living in crisis, and we’re sure that tomorrow’s gala will contribute even further towards this worthwhile cause.

The Sassy Team are volunteering in full force for this great charity at the Power of Film gala, we’ll be on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook all night long… stay tuned!