Ruby Yang

Ruby Yang ({{Lang-zh|s=杨紫烨|t=楊紫燁|first=t,s}}), is a Hong Kong-born American filmmaker.{{Cite news |last=Straus |first=Tamara |date=June 26, 2008 |title=From China, stories of crisis and hope |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/From-China-stories-of-crisis-and-hope-3279054.php |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=SFGate |language=en}} Yang is recognized for her contributions to documentary and dramatic cinema. Her work has earned her an Academy award, two Academy nominations, and numerous other accolades, including an Emmy, the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award, FilmAid Asia's Humanitarian Award, the Global Health Council Media Award and two IDA Pare Lorentz Award nominations.{{Cite web |last=Liu |first=Jingyang |date=August 8, 2015 |title=Ruby Yang: Making an impact through film |url=https://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-08/08/content_21533236.htm |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=China Daily}}

Biography

Yang was born in Hong Kong. She moved to the United States in 1977 to study filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. After graduation, she worked as an editor on many Chinese American documentaries and mainstream Hollywood films.

Yang relocated to Beijing in 2004 and moved back to Hong Kong in 2013. She was appointed by the University of Hong Kong as Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities in the fall of 2013.{{cite web |title=The Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities enhances Hong Kong's colourful cultural landscape |url=http://www.giving.hku.hk/en/Why-Give/The-Hung-Leung-Hau-Ling-Distinguished-Fellow-In-Humanities-Enhances-Hong-Kong-S-Colourful-Cultural-Landscape.html}}{{cite web |date=7 May 2014 |title=Oscar Winning Filmmaker Appointed as Distinguished Fellow/ |url=https://www.giving.hku.hk/oscar-winning-filmmaker-appointed-as-distinguished-fellow/}}

In 2003, Yang co-founded the Chang Ai Media Project with filmmaker Thomas F. Lennon to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in China. The project's documentaries and public service announcements have reached over 900 millions viewers. As part of this effort, Lennon and Yang made a trilogy of short documentary films about modern China, including The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006), which won Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2007, Tongzhi in Love (2008), which was shortlisted in the same category, and The Warriors of Qiugang (2011), which was nominated for Academy.{{Cite web |last=Debruge |first=Peter |date=2011-02-10 |title=The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2011: Documentary |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/the-oscar-nominated-short-films-2011-documentary-1117944558/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

Her feature documentary My Voice, My Life (2014) won the 2015 NPT Human Spirit Award at the Nashville Film Festival.{{Cite news |date=December 31, 2014 |title=Hong Kong’s 5 Most Essential Films of 2014 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CJB-25474 |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}}

In 2015, Yang established Hong Kong Documentary Initiative (HKDI), aiming at fostering Hong Kong documentary filmmakers.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=http://hkdocumentary.org/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Hong Kong Documentary Initiative |language=en-US}} It provided grants for 18 local projects, including Chan Tze-woon's Blue Island (2022). HKDI regularly hosts live interviews and dialogues with prominent filmmakers, until 2020.{{Cite web |title=香港紀錄片拓展計劃Hong Kong Documentary Initiative |url=https://www.youtube.com/@hongkongdocumentaryinitiat1064/videos |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=YouTube |language=en}}

The Last Stitch (2019) is another documentary project, that Yang worked as a producer, explores generations of a family of tailors emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.moviemovie.com.hk/en/movies/5d36a28aded0406701e35d56 |title=The Last stitch (Life is Art 2019) |language=en |access-date=2025-03-18 |via=MOViE MOViE}} It captures the disappearing art of handmade Chinese Cheongsam.

In 2024, three of Yang's films are shown in Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival at M+ Museum.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-25 |title=Oscar winner Ruby Yang on her career as M+ museum shows her early films |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3267837/oscar-winning-hong-kong-born-filmmaker-ruby-yang-changing-world-and-new-challenges |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} As of June 2024, Yang is the director of Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC) at the University of Hong Kong.

Filmography

= As director =

My Voice, My Life Revisited (2020)《繼續爭氣》
Ritoma (2018)《仁多瑪》
In Search of Perfect Consonance (2016)《尋找完美第五度》
My Voice, My Life (2014)《爭氣》{{Cite web |last=Frater |first=Patrick |date=2015-03-23 |title=Hong Kong’s Oscar Winner Ruby Yang Comes Home, Finds Her ‘Voice’ |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/asia/hong-kongs-oscar-winner-ruby-yang-comes-home-finds-her-voice-1201458055/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
The Warriors of Qiugang (2010)《仇崗衛士》
A Moment in Time (2009)《聲光轉逝》
Tongzhi in Love (2008)《彼岸浮生》
The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)《颍州的孩子》
Julia’s Story (2005)《朱力亞的故事》
China 21 (2002)《中國一二》
Citizen Hong Kong (1999)《風雨故園》

= As editor =

Becoming American: The Chinese Experience series (2003){{Cite web |title=Becoming American: The Chinese Experience |url=https://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/aboutprograms.html |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=PBS}}{{Cite web |title=Becoming American: The Chinese Experience |url=https://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/programbios.html |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=PBS}}
Program One: Gold Mountain Dreams
Program Two: Between Two Worlds
Program Three: No Turning Back

Autumn in New York (2000)
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998)
Street Soldier (1997)
All Power to the People (1996)
A.K.A. Don Bonus (1995){{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |date=1995-03-10 |title=A.K.A. Don Bonus |url=https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/a-k-a-don-bonus-1200441167/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
China: The Wild East (1994)
The Joy Luck Club (1993), assistant editor