Hong Kong protests: filmmakers decry new law that could censor

When the DVD came back shattered, it felt like a sign. The creators of Hong Kong protest documentary, Inside the Red Brick Wall, ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationAdvertisementNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShowMoreShowMoreNewsWorldnewsUKnewsCoronavirusClimatecrisisEnvironmentScienceGlobaldevelopmentFootballTechBusinessObituariesOpinionTheGuardianviewColumnistsCartoonsOpinionvideosLettersSportFootballCricketRugbyunionTennisCyclingF1GolfUSsportsCultureBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStageLifestyleFashionFoodRecipesLove&sexHealth&fitnessHome&gardenWomenMenFamilyTravelMoneyMakeacontributionSubscribeSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteTheGuardianappVideoPodcastsPicturesNewslettersToday'spaperInsidetheGuardianTheObserverGuardianWeeklyCrosswordsSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteWorldEuropeUSAmericasAsiaAustraliaMiddleEastAfricaInequalityGlobaldevelopmentHongKongHongKongprotests:filmmakersdecrynewlawthatcouldcensoramomentinhistoryProtestersdemonstrateoutsidetheHongKongpoliceheadquartersinJune2019.Anewlawcouldseedocumentariesoftheprotestsbannedovernationalsecurityconcerns.Photograph:AnthonyKwan/GettyImagesProtestersdemonstrateoutsidetheHongKongpoliceheadquartersinJune2019.Anewlawcouldseedocumentariesoftheprotestsbannedovernationalsecurityconcerns.Photograph:AnthonyKwan/GettyImagesThe2019protestsspawneddocumentariesthatmayneverseebroadreleaseamidgrowingintoleranceofanythinglinkedtothefightfordemocracyHelenDavidsoninTaipei@heldavidsonWed3Nov202100.25GMTLastmodifiedonTue21Dec202114.46GMTWhentheDVDcamebackshattered,itfeltlikeasign.ThecreatorsofHongKongprotestdocumentary,InsidetheRedBrickWall,hadsentittoregulatorsforascreeningapproval,asthey’ddonenumeroustimesbeforewithoutissue.Butthistimethereturningenvelopewasfilledwithsilvershards.“Wedidn’tunderstandwhy,butitwasintentional,”oneoftheanonymouscreatorssays.“TheysaiditwasbrokenbytheDVDmachinebutitwasintentional–itcamebackinpieces.Itfeltintentional,liketheyweresendingamessage.”Thescreeningwasapproved,butwithahigherratingrestrictingaudiencestopeopleaged18andover.Butthemomentmarkedasignificantshift.ProtestersmarchonthestreetsinJune2019againstanextraditionbillthatwouldallowpeopletobesenttomainlandChinatofacetheirjudicialsystem.Photograph:VincentYu/APAfewmonthslater,inMarch,thetheatrehostingthefirstcommercialscreeningoftheprotestfilmcancelledontheday.Thenthegovernment-backedfundingbody,theArtsDevelopmentCouncilofHongKong,reportedlywithdrewamajorgrantfromtheindependentfilmcollectivethathadreleasedit.Theincidentsunderlinethegrowingintolerancefromauthoritiestoanythingrelatedtothepro-democracymovement,whichwrackedthecityformuchof2019.InJune2020,Beijingimposeditsnationalsecuritylawwhichvaguelycriminalisedactsasforeigncollusion,sedition,secessionorterrorism.Sincethenpolicehaveusedittoarresthundredsofjournalists,politicians,campaignersandactivists,andmakeriskythesellingofparticularbooks,artworks,andfilms.‘Clearpoliticalcensorship’OnWednesdaylastweek,HongKong’sparliamentcriminalisedpoliticallysensitivefilm-making,withalawallowingbroadcensorshipundertheguiseofnationalsecurity.Thenewlawbansanyfilmsthegovernmentdeemscould“endorse,support,glorify,encourageandinciteactivitiesthatmightendangernationalsecurity”,andallowsofficialstostopproductionsandscreenings.Anyunauthorisedscreeningofabannedfilmcanincurthreeyearsinjailforthoseresponsible,ora$1mfine.“Thegoalisveryclear:it’stoimprovethefilmcensorshipsystem,topreventanyactendangeringthenationalsecurity,”commercesecretaryEdwardYautoldtheLegislativeCouncil.KennyNg,associateprofessorattheAcademyofFilmatHongKongBaptistUniversitytoldReutersthebillwas“heavy-handed”.“Addingnationalsecurityclausestothebillisclearpoliticalcensorship,”hesaid.Obvioustargetsofthelawaretherushofprotestdocumentariesreleasedinthepast12months.Thedocumentariesshowsomeoftheprotestmovement’smostviolentmomentsandfollowindividualsincludingsomewhowerelaterarrested.Manyweremadebyanonymousteamsoflikemindedpeoplewhometwhilefilmingonthefrontlinesofprotests,andwereinspiredtotelladeeperstorythaninternationalmedia.ApromotionalposterforWhenaCityRises,adocumentarychartingtheHongKongproteststhatbeganin2019.Photograph:Supplied“IthinkthatwasthemomentIpersonallyfeltlikethisisthetimeweshouldstartdoingwhatadocumentaryfilm-makershoulddo,”saysIrisKwong,oneofsevendirectorsbehindWhenACityRises,whichscreenedattheBrisbaneInternationalFilmFestivalovertheweekend.“[Beforethen]Iwasn’tgoingtomakeanyfilmsaboutthemovementbecauseitwassomethingIfeltlikethewholeworldwasalreadycominginto,somaybeIdidn’tneedtodoit.ItwasamomentwhereIjustwantedtobetogetherwiththerestofthecityinthissocialmovement.”Severalfilm-makerstelltheGuardianthenewlawdoesn’taffectthemmuchmorethanthenationalsecuritylawalreadydid.Somehavealreadygonetoground,workinganonymously,whileothershavefledHongKong.‘Riskstoeverybodyinvolved’Thebiggestimpactofthenewcensorshiplaw,severalsay,willbeonHongKong’sstatusasaninternationalfilmhubandthecity’srichcatalogueoflauded,thoughtfulandoftenpoliticalfilms.Lastweek’slawallowsHongKong’ssecuritychief,JohnLeeKa-chiu,tobanthescreeningofexistingfilmsifhedeterminestheythreatennationalsecurity.Theonemostoftencitedasalikelytargetisthe2015film10Years,adystopianandratherpropheticimaginingofHongKong’sfuture,buttherearemanyothers.“Wehavesomanyfilmscriticalofgovernments,especiallyfrombefore1997whenwewerestillacolonyofBritain,”saystheInsidetheRedBrickWallfilm-maker.“ItwasOKtocriticisetheChinesegovernmentatthattimeandmanyofourfamousandiconicfilmsarefrombeforeoraroundthattime.Soitwouldbeahugethingiftheydecidedtobanthosefilmstoo,becausethey’reveryculturallysignificant.”ManylocalproductionswerealreadypartneringcommerciallywithmainlandChinesecompanies,andtherehadbeenatrendtowardscomplyingwithmainlandsensitivities,someofthefilm-makersnote.Butwhatwasonceanissueofresourcesisnowamatteroflaw.Anationalsecuritylawenactedin2020stifledmajorprotestsinHongKong.Photograph:VincentYu/AP“WithHongKongbeingahubforfilm-making,andmostofwhicharereallyexpensivetomake,ifyourmoviegetspulledthat’sreallybad,”saysKwong.“SoIthinkwhatwillhappenistheimpactofthislawwillmeanmoreself-censorshipfornon-politicalfilms.”TheInsidetheRedBrickWallfilm-makersayseveninhindsightsheandherteamstillwouldhavemadetheirfilm.WhenACityRiseswon’tscreeninHongKongbecause“thereareriskstoeverybodyinvolved”,saysKwong,butitwillbeshowninAustraliaandseveralEuropeancountriesovercomingmonths.KwonghopesthefilmwillhelpglobalaudiencesunderstandwhathappenedinHongKong.“Ithinkwithanysocialmovementsaroundtheworld,thereoftenisn’tatonnethatpeoplecando,butwhatisworseiswhenpeopledon’tknowthatit’shappening.”TopicsHongKongChinaCensorshipAsiaPacificProtestfeaturesReusethiscontentWorldEuropeUSAmericasAsiaAustraliaMiddleEastAfricaInequalityGlobaldevelopment