Features and Drama
23. It can, perhaps, be said that broadcasting's most important contribution to the Arts is the feature programme. This is the one style of presentation which, unlike drama, variety or the straight talk, has not been borrowed or adapted from some other medium. It is interesting to note that a British radio feature has again secured the major inter- national award 'The Italia Prize'. This year Radio Hong Kong rebroadcast not only the latest winner of the Italia Prize 'Seclusion', but also made special arrangements to obtain from the Australian Broadcasting Commission the previous prize winner 'Death of a Wombat'.
24. The output and quality of local feature productions has been considerably stimulated by the recruitment of a feature producer, on secondment from B.B.C., who has been able to devote himself to this field. The Department has, therefore, been able to broadcast several local productions with an Hong Kong background. The first of these coincided with the Government's campaign against drug addiction and was called 'Vicious Circle'. Its successor, 'Operation Rescue', investi- gated the problems of rehabilitating drug addicts into society.
25. A major project during the year was the local series, ‘Profes- sional Portrait', depicting the work of various Government officers. In this series the duties and responsibilities of a 'District Officer', a ‘Marine Officer', a 'Trade Officer', an 'Education Officer' and an "Air Traffic Controller' were presented in their day-to-day contexts and brought to life by radio.
26. Professor Edmund BLUNDEN, the celebrated poet now residing in Hong Kong, was the subject of another feature programme 'The Making of a Poet'. Other subjects dealt with in feature form included 'Enquiry' in which the price of books in Hong Kong was investigated (this was called 'A Dollar-A Shilling'), and a programme about H.M.S. Albion at sea called 'Operation Shopwindow'.
27. The Department's output of drama has continued to suffer from our inability to recruit a full-time staff producer. We have, in con- sequence, had to lean heavily on B.B.C. contributions. Nevertheless, during the year producers found spare time to produce, and in some cases write, plays of considerable calibre. Amongst these was one about Palestine called "The Hannen Girl', which was written, acted and produced locally. Radio Hong Kong's contribution to the 1960 Arts Festival 'Pygmalion' was very well received.
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