Ruby Yang facts for kids

Ruby Yang (traditional Chinese: 楊紫燁; simplified Chinese: 杨紫烨) is a talented filmmaker from Hong Kong who is also an American citizen. She is well-known for making powerful documentary films and other movies. Her work has won many big awards, including an Academy Award, which is one of the highest honors in filmmaking! She has also received two Academy nominations and many other important awards, like an Emmy.

About Ruby Yang

Ruby Yang was born in Hong Kong. In 1977, she moved to the United States to study filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. After finishing her studies, she worked as an editor. She helped put together many documentaries about Chinese Americans and also worked on big Hollywood movies.

In 2004, Ruby Yang moved to Beijing, China. Later, in 2013, she moved back to Hong Kong. The University of Hong Kong recognized her talent and appointed her as a special fellow in humanities.

Helping Others Through Film

In 2003, Ruby Yang started a project called the Chang Ai Media Project with another filmmaker, Thomas F. Lennon. Their goal was to teach people in China about HIV/AIDS. They made documentaries and short public service announcements that were seen by over 900 million people!

As part of this important work, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon made three short documentary films about modern China:

• The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006): This film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2007.
• Tongzhi in Love (2008): This film was also considered for an Academy Award.
• The Warriors of Qiugang (2011): This film was nominated for an Academy Award.

Her longer documentary film, My Voice, My Life (2014), won an award at the Nashville Film Festival in 2015.

Supporting New Filmmakers

In 2015, Ruby Yang created the Hong Kong Documentary Initiative (HKDI). This project aimed to help new documentary filmmakers in Hong Kong. It gave money to 18 local film projects, including Chan Tze-woon's film Blue Island (2022). HKDI also held regular interviews and talks with famous filmmakers until 2020.

Ruby Yang also worked as a producer on a documentary called The Last Stitch (2019). This film tells the story of a family of tailors who moved from Hong Kong to Canada. It shows the special art of making handmade Chinese Cheongsam dresses, which is slowly disappearing.

In 2024, three of Ruby Yang's films were shown at the Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival at the M+ Museum. As of July 2025, Ruby Yang is the director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC) at the University of Hong Kong.

Films by Ruby Yang

Ruby Yang has worked on many films in different roles. Here are some of them:

As Director

• My Voice, My Life Revisited (2020)
• Ritoma (2018)
• In Search of Perfect Consonance (2016)
• My Voice, My Life (2014)
• The Warriors of Qiugang (2010)
• A Moment in Time (2009)
• Tongzhi in Love (2008)
• The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)
• Julia’s Story (2005)
• China 21 (2002)
• Citizen Hong Kong (1999)

As Editor

• Becoming American: The Chinese Experience series (2003)
  • 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)
• China: The Wild East (1994)
• The Joy Luck Club (1993), as an assistant editor

As Producer

• The Last Stitch (2019)

See also

• HIV/AIDS in the People's Republic of China
• Hong Kong Documentary Initiative on YouTube