What's new 19/12/2003
"Love under the Sun Special" and "World AIDS Day Beijing Concert" on TVB Jade
If you think health promotion messages are usually boring and monotonous, hold your comments till you watch the "Love under the Sun Special" and "World AIDS Day Beijing Concert" on TVB Jade at 20:00 to 20:30 on 20 Dec 2003.and 13:15 to 14:15 on 28 Dec 2003 The programme will contain the education film "Love under the Sun" proudly presented by the Ministry of Health, PRC (MoH), Department of Health (DH), and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK).
The 15-minute education film on HIV education will be the landmark in the history of making of any publicity efforts for health promotion, as it boasts many "firsts" for its kind. It is the first joint publicity project by MoH, DH and RTHK. The first heavyweight combination, led by international renowned producer Johnnie TO and director Andy Lau, and cast by 38 artists from both Mainland and HK. The music in the film was made by the strongest backstage lineup, including Lin Xi for lyric, Peter KAM for music and CHAN Hing-kai and YIP Tin-shing for the script. The theme song "Walk together", deemed to be a solid gold hit, is the first time that the all-time cinema favorites Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, jointly perform in a song. All these have one goal in common: to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS and to promote the acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLAs) in Mainland and HK.
The film is the fruit of an idea seeded by the DH early this year: why don't we have a joint publicity programme on HIV/AIDS for both HK and the Mainland? The idea evolved to a concrete plan after months of hard work by the MoH, DH and RTHK, and every step nearer to reality when eventually, shooting was done in November in HK. Dr Regina CHING, the Deputy Director of the DH, and Mr PH CHU, the Director of Broadcasting visited the working crew in the shooting location, and delivered "pineapple buns" to all the local and mainland artists to commend their voluntary contributions. The premiere was staged in a Charity Show bearing the same name "Love under the Sun" hosted by the MoH in Capital Stadium in Beijing on 27 Nov 2003. Red ribbons were worn by all audiences in the full-housed Stadium to symbolize the warm sunlight for the acceptance of PLAs. Nine Hong Kong and six mainland artists performed in the show, and they were commended by the authority including the MoH representatives, LIU Xinming (Director , Department of Administration, MOH), CHEN Xianyi (Vice-Director, Department of Diseases Control, MOH), and SHEN Jie (Vice-Director, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention ), and Hong Kong representatives LEE Shui Shan, (Consultant of the Department of Health) and Homer TSO (Chairman of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS). At the end of the show, two PLAs entered the spot-light to show their gratitude by shaking hands with top-artist Andy LAU. The scene was widely publicized in the media.
Every two years, the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) brings a topic of international concern to the forestage. "Live and let live" is the theme for WAC 2002-2003, and it focuses on eliminating stigma and discrimination as the major obstacle to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care globally.
In the coming weeks, the "Love under the Sun" education film will be edited into a new series of TV and radio APIs to be broadcast in Hong Kong and Mainland. So, stay tuned.