Far East Film Festival

The Far East Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Italy that showcases films from East Asia. It has recently become newsworthy due to its planned screening of the Hong Kong documentary "To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self." This documentary, directed by Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, follows the lives of six girls over a decade at Ying Wa Girls’ School. The film was pulled from Hong Kong cinemas three years ago due to concerns about consent from the interviewees. One of the students featured in the documentary, Ah Ling, has publicly stated that she did not consent to the film being screened at the festival, reiterating her previous objections. This controversy highlights ongoing ethical considerations surrounding documentary filmmaking, particularly regarding informed consent and the long-term impact on subjects, and has brought renewed attention to the Far East Film Festival.