Award-nominated feature documentary exploring the lives of Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers and the emotional cost of separation from their families.
PROJECT DETAILS
ROLE
[ Lead Video Editor ]
YEAR
Lead Video Editor
“An eye-opening documentary that offers a glimpse into the lives of Hong Kong’s domestic helpers.” — Lulu Wang
CONTEXT & CHALLENGE
The Helper chronicles the diverse stories of Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers — women who leave their families behind to support others. The challenge was shaping a feature-length narrative that honoured intimate personal stories while illuminating the broader social realities behind a workforce often unseen.
APPROACH
As Lead Editor, I built the narrative structure of the feature from extensive documentary footage, crafting emotional arcs across multiple subjects while maintaining pacing and cohesion across a long-form runtime. The edit required restraint, sensitivity, and precision to ensure authenticity remained at the core of the storytelling.
IMPLEMENTATION
Working closely with the director, I assembled and refined the full feature cut, navigating hundreds of hours of material to shape character journeys and thematic clarity. I guided structural revisions, pacing adjustments, and tonal balance through post-production to deliver a cohesive cinematic experience.
IMPACT
• Screened at Lincoln Center, New York
• International theatrical release across Asia
• Streaming on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, 7plus and iWonder
• Featured on Cathay Pacific in-flight entertainment
• Best Video Editing Nominee — PPP Film Awards (2020)
