Directed by Floyd Russ from Tool of North America for agency Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, the online documentary Meet me Halfway–sponsored by global skincare brand SK-II–follows the real-life stories of three young single Chinese women as they bravely take on the daunting first steps of reaching out to their parents after years of avoiding and not returning home during holidays due to marriage pressure.
Many single women in China find themselves having to choose between living up to their parents and society’s expectations regarding marriage timelines, and their own dreams and aspirations. Avoiding Chinese New Year has become a growing phenomenon among young single Chinese women as a result. For a young single Chinese woman, curious questions that arise from parents and relatives about boyfriends, marriage and even children during the week-long festivities create a suffocating and unbearable environment of pressure and urgency.
Gaining widespread exposure in China, this short film takes viewers to the heart of the matter, candidly showing the women’s first attempts of opening up to their parents about their lives and the marriage pressure they have been dealing with. Through meeting halfway, both literally (geographically) and figuratively, daughters begin to see their parents in a different light and come to the realization that the questions from their parents causing their burden were coming from a place of love and genuine care. Through bridging daughters and parents and facilitating an open dialogue about marriage pressure, SK-II hopes to provide a platform where mutual understanding can be achieved to empower women to make their own choice, in their own time.
CreditsClient SK-II Agency Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore John Bergdahl, art director; Joakim Labraaten, copywriter; Jason Feng, designer; Alexander Blidner, producer, film. Production Tool of North America Floyd Russ, director; Brad Johns, Nancy Hacohen, exec producers; Andy Coverdale, producer; Christophe Collette, DP. Editorial Cabin Editing Company Isaac Chen, editor. Audio Lime Studios
The Best Work You May Never See: C3P, No Fixed Address Show Us There Are No “Safe Spaces” In Canada When Kids Are Online
Creative agency No Fixed Address has partnered with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) to raise awareness about the alarming increase in online child sexual exploitation in Canada. The “Safe Spaces” campaign alerts parents to the fact that nowhere is currently safe for a Canadian child--not their school, not their playground, not even their own bedroom--as soon as they’re online.
This “Safe Spaces” public service film--directed by Amélie Hardy via production company Carton Rouge--features the mothers of six victims of online sexual exploitation, telling their kid’s stories from the same places they assumed their child would be safe. These courageous moms have not only suffered the nightmare of what happened to their children, they’ve suffered under the assumption by many Canadians that it is somehow their fault for not keeping their children safe. This is the preconception the “Safe Spaces” campaign seeks to change. This can happen to anyone. Predators are everywhere online. And they’re targeting everyone. The campaign is urging Canadians to support the federal government’s Online Harms Bill, which would require social media companies to provide meaningful protection to children online.
“These courageous moms chose to share their heartbreaking stories to help Canadians understand why we desperately need legislation to protect our children from dangerous spaces online, just like we do offline,” said Lianna McDonald, executive director of C3P. “This is why we need safety regulations for the platforms kids use every day, as proposed in the Online Harms Bill.”
Alexis Bronstorph, chief creative officer at No Fixed Address, said, “We were blown away by the courage of these moms for sharing their stories.... Read More