The newly constructed Island School in 1974 (at left), opposite the former British Military Hospital, overlooking Central District and Hong Kong Harbour.

Between 1986 and 1990, I attended Island School in Hong Kong - a secondary school first opened by the English Schools Foundation in 1967. This unique institution has provided a world-class education to thousands of foreign and local students, throughout fifty years of rapid growth and cultural change in Hong Kong.

Why make a film about the school?

In 2017, Island School turned fifty. To mark the occasion, anniversary celebrations and a gala reunion were being planned in Hong Kong. Having returned to Australia in 1991, I was excited to reunite with former classmates now living around the world, but also sad to learn the school buildings, which opened in 1974, would be demolished in 2018. I decided to make a film that would document the existing buildings before they were gone forever, and also tell the story of thousands of alumni, who call themselves "Islanders".

Filming in Hong Kong - June 2017

While attending the 50th anniversary celebrations, I filmed interviews with thirty current and former staff and students, who recounted the school’s history and remembered life in Hong Kong over five decades, providing context for hundreds of images -- many sourced from Chris Forse’s 2007 book, “No Ordinary School”. New video of the school, combined with archival footage from each decade, bring their stories to life, taking viewers on a nostalgic journey through cultural, political and personal events, culminating with the 50th celebrations, which attracted hundreds of Islanders from around the world.

The completed film was released on DVD & Blu-ray disc in September, 2021. Although DVD & Blu-ray copies are sold out, you can order the five segments as digital downloads (US$28) by emailing seanfrancisellis@gmail.com.

ISLAND SCHOOL: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS