After eight years of research on the everyday life of older lesbians and bisexual women in HK, Lingnan University’s Department of Cultural Studies Prof Denise Tang co-produced the film 'All Shall Be Well', which won the Teddy Award at the 74th Berlinale
Prof Denise Tang Tse-shang (second left), Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of the Faculty of Arts, and Associate Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University, co-produced the film "All Shall Be Well", which won the Teddy Award at the 74th Berlinale.
Congratulations to Prof Denise Tang Tse-shang, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of the Faculty of Arts, and Associate Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University, on her co-production of the film "All Shall Be Well", which was honoured at the Berlin Film Festival, the 74th Berlinale, where it won the prestigious Teddy Award for films that champion LGBTQ+ stories and themes. This is the first time a Hong Kong film has received the award since 1998, and following this success, the film went on to open the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Prof Tang has long focused on gender and LGBTQ+ studies, and was awarded a General Research Fund from the Research Grants Council for this project in 2016. She has studied the oral histories of older lesbians and bisexual women in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, and, over eight years and three revisions, compiled the life stories of five women from Hong Kong as well as adding three academic papers to Oral Histories of Older Lesbians and Bisexual Women in Hong Kong, the book she wrote with journalist Ng Wing-yan, which was published by Typesetter Publisher in April 2024. Discussing her years of research, Prof Tang reflects on the changes in Hong Kong's historical and economic landscapes, stressing ageing issues while bridging historical gaps regarding elderly lesbians in Hong Kong.
In 2020, director Ray Yeung began developing a story on elderly lesbians - a vision that aligned with Prof Tang's research focus, she then introduced him to the study’s informants for research interviews and table read sessions, leading to this award-winning film that explores legal recognition of same-sex relationships, family and inheritance issues in Hong Kong. Through the book and film, Prof Tang hopes to raise awareness and understanding of the circumstances facing older lesbians to the general public.