Prof HJORT, Anne Mette

Professor Mette Hjort is carrying the concurrent title of Chair Professor of Film and Media Studies.

Danish by birth, I grew up in Kenya, East Africa, and was subsequently schooled in the UK and Holland. I went on to study in Switzerland, Canada and France and have held permanent positions, as an academic, in Canada, Denmark, the UK and Hong Kong. My work as a researcher and educator is informed by an aspiration to connect communities in different parts of the world. As a university administrator, some of the most rewarding work I have undertaken has been in the area of Internationalisation. Like some of the visionary vice chancellors I have had the good fortune to work for and with, I believe that international opportunities are often life changing for our students. Internationalisation is not always about the mobility of students, as 'internationalisation at home' is also crucial. In this regard I would highlight the contribution made by the Artist in Residence Programme that my colleagues and I established at Lingnan University almost two decades ago. Recruiting emerging and established artists from Hong Kong and internationally, this programme offered local Hong Kong students the opportunity to work closely with artists from around the globe, for example, with the Kenyan sculptor Elkana Ong'esa. My work in the area of international learning opportunities currently focuses on the East African island of Zanzibar.