Young, creative and philanthropic

RMIT alumnus, Ling Ang

Twenty-seven-year old filmmaker and alumnus Ling Ang challenges what it is to be a modern day philanthropist with her significant gift of $500,000 to the RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal. Here she tells why she gave.

“The first time I saw the Capitol Theatre I was on my way to a class in the theatre. All I saw was this geometric wonderland of a ceiling.

The Capitol Theatre isn’t limited to being a cinema or a lecture theatre. With this gift, we want to try and create a circle of life within the theatre, where students can interact with industry people.

That connection between students and industry is really important in helping people see that their dreams aren’t so unattainable.

The act of giving back was a value instilled and encouraged by my family.

I was brought up to always give back to something – to try and help other people who might need that extra push.

I grew up on the Gold Coast and watching movies was a big part of that, which inspired me to study a Diploma of Screen and Media at RMIT and pursue a career as a filmmaker.

Now I’ve been a documentary filmmaker for nine years, with work showcased around the world in New York City, London, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney.

I came back from overseas looking for infrastructure that could help harbour more creativity for myself and my peers, and the Capitol Theatre was the perfect platform to help harness that.

It’s storytelling that I love. I work mostly in documentary. I’m captivated by what people have to tell me, and I love having the chance to inspire other people.”