Seven rising-star, female basketball players from Hong Kong aim their sights on America’s WNBA, hoping to make a fast-break play towards the world’s most elite sports teams. Supported by their home gym in Hong Kong, each of the seven players brings her own unique talent, and trouble, to the journey.
The Strive Foundation's “Gold Team” empowers Hong Kong’s best young, female basketball players with free coaching and support to access life-changing educational opportunities for scholarships to U.S. schools via their passion for sport. Notable participants include: Yannie Chan (22): First Gold Team graduate to receive a U.S. basketball scholarship; currently at Iona University after excelling at Emmanuel College and overcoming a knee injury. Nicole Leung (18): Overcame academic struggles to pursue education in the U.S.; now at Mercersburg Academy on a full athletic scholarship and invited to join an Adidas-sponsored team. Luigi Lam (20): After initial college application challenges, she secured a partial scholarship to Illinois Wesleyan University; faces financial concerns but excels in basketball. Cubie Leung (18): Received a full athletic scholarship to Odessa Junior College, overcoming academic difficulties and uncertainties about attending university. Nancy Hong (18): Escaped an abusive home and improved her self-confidence and grades with Strive's support; aims for a U.S. scholarship while addressing past trauma. Phoenix Law (16): Faced bullying and a knee injury; now thriving in a new school and exploring other interests while planning to return to basketball. Ada Yeung (17): A newer player determined to earn a college scholarship despite family challenges and past injuries. Observing young female athletes striving to break barriers will be an inspiring glimpse into the new generation emerging in the U.S., coinciding with the growing attention on women's sports.
Joanna Bowers is a British Director, Producer and Screenwriter based in Hong Kong with a focus on telling inspiring, international stories featuring unlikely heroines on journeys to achieve the extraordinary.
Her screenwriting projects have recently reach the semi-finals of The Writer’s Lab US and The Athena List 2024.
Originally from the UK, Joanna earned her degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Leeds. After graduation, Joanna relocated to Los Angeles where she began working in television commercial production as a director’s assistant and treatment writer, before roles in development and casting. She was also a member of Theatricum Botanicum theatre company and Upright Citizens Brigade.
Joanna began directing narrative short films in 2009, working with female writers to tell original stories from unique perspectives and her films screened at festivals including Palm Springs and Louisville International film festivals. She then relocated to Hong Kong where she landed commercial and documentary assignments throughout Asia for brands including The North Face, Cathay Pacific, HSBC and various NGOs.
Joanna’s feature documentary debut "The Helper" exploring the immense maternal sacrifices of migrant domestic workers was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign and went on to a sold out 3 month theatrical run and international distribution with releases on SVOD and streaming platforms including iTunes, AmazonPrime and and NatGeo. The film’s impact campaign gathered thousands of gestures of appreciation for migrant workers in the region.
Refocussing her directorial lens onto the environment, Joanna’s second feature documentary "reFashioned" profiled three passionate Hong Kongers spearheading radical solutions to the problems created by fast fashion. “reFashioned” premiered at Doc DMZ in Korea and Hawaii International Film Festival before theatrical releases in Hong Kong and Japan and was acquired for international distribution by Gravitas Ventures.
Joanna is currently in production on a documentary profiling seven rising-star, female basketball players from Hong Kong with their sights on America’s WNBA, hoping to make a fast-break play towards the world’s most elite sports teams.
