#ShaolinSoccer #KungFuHustle
Welcome to Hong Kong, where you will be arrested for carrying a spanner as a bus driver.

#PoliceState #Spanner
#NewWorldFirstBus #HongKongCinema
#GoHKGraphics

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Read more:

HK Police Charge Bus Driver with Possession of "Offensive Weapons" Being Spanner and Screw Driver
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25067

HK Police Charge Bus Driver with "Careless Driving" After Changing Their Statement and Seeking Advice from Department of Justice
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25196

#YingEChi #Ban #Documentaries
#Censorship: Hong Kong Authorities Accuse Protest Documentaries of "Constituting Criminal Offences"

The Hong Kong government's Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (#OFNAA), which is responsible for approving films and printed matters for public distribution, accused two local documentaries of "constituting criminal offences" for showing footages of the 2019 Anti-ELAB movement.

The two documentaries “Taking back the Legislature" and "Inside the Red Brick Wall" were produced by Ying E Chi, a veteran non-profit independent film organization in Hong Kong.

The documentaries captured the pro-democracy protesters' siege of the legislative council on July 1, 2019 and the siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November 2019, respectively.

Ying E Chi released a statement on Sept 21, 2020 and revealed how the OFNAA has made different attempts to bar the films from being shown in cinema. These included the request to re-edit; overturning past approved screening certificates; and classifying "Inside the Red Brick Wall" into a Category III film only 2 hours before its release.*

*In Hong Kong, Category III films are restricted to an audience above 18 years of age. In the case of "Inside the Red Brick Wall", Ying E Chi has to make refund to all underaged spectators.

Ying E Chi said the authorities has tried to "coerce the directors into making statements against their wills" and threatened to bar the films from screening.

Ying E Chi also expressed that "the opinion expressed in the statement issued by The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA) does not reflect the views of the director and the production team".

According to Ying E Chi director Vincent Chui, four staff of the OFNAA were present to monitor the public screening on Sept 21, 2020.

=======

Ying E Chi expresses strong disagreement as the OFNAA:

1. Force the films to be edited under the pretext of protecting everyone, but in fact, only to protect their own interest

2. Request an announcement to be made at the beginning of the film, yet refused to be declared as the one who demanded the announcement

(See images in blue: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25425)

3. Overturn the previous certificate issued by the OFNAA with unspecified reason

4. Fail to issue the certificate on time as promised, whilst shifting the responsibility to the applicant

=========

The comments made by the OFNAA on the two documentaries are as follows:

“Taking back the Legislature”:
“This film records the serious incident of the storming of the Legislative Council Complex on 1 July 2019. Some of those depictions or acts may constitute criminal offences under prevailing laws.”

“Inside the Red Brick Wall:
“This film records the serious incidents at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and nearby areas in November 2019. Some of those depictions or acts may constitute criminal offences under prevailing laws. Some of the contents of or commentaries in the film may be unverified or misleading.”

Source: Ying E Chi; Apple Daily #Sept21
https://www.facebook.com/261128170659949/posts/3063984707040934/

https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200921/KVBCY4X4LZG4DKOP6FJJIF34AE/

#VincentChui #PolyUSiege #LegCoSiege #1July2019 #IndieCinema #HongKongCinema

#Censorship #YingEChi
Independent filmmakers: Film inspection authority stalls reviewing process and shutters anti-ELAB movement DVD submitted for inspection

“Inside the Red Brick Wall”, a documentary directed by filmmakers of HK Documentary Initiative was released on September 21 at the Hong Kong Arts Center. The film, centered on the siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has captured one of the most intense confrontations between pro-democracy protesters and HK police during the year-long anti-ELAB movement in 2019.

When receiving the long-overdue Certificate of Approval, Ying E Chi Cinema was stunned to find the DVD of “Inside the Red Brick Wall” it submitted for inspection was “utterly shattered”.

When being asked, a staff member of OFNAA (Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration) claimed that they had “accidentally'' damaged it during reviewing process. Ying E Chi Cinema stated on its Facebook that “it had never occurred in almost 20 years since our establishment”.

Source: Apple Daily #Sept22
#WhiteTerror #FailedState #FreedomOfSpeech #HongKongCinema #IndieCinema

Read how the negotiation between Ying E Chi cinema and the OFNAA unfolds on the cinema’s Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3063984707040934&id=261128170659949

Related article: Hong Kong Authorities Accuse Protest Documentaries of "Constituting Criminal Offences"
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25426

#Solidarity #Culture
South Korean Netizens Encourage Hongkongers For "A Better Tomorrow" in the Fight For Freedom

On June 3, 2016, the Korean Pops Orchestra performed the theme song of a 1987-Hong Kong movie A Better Tomorrow II (英雄本色2) at Gyeonggi Arts Center Grand Theater in South Korea.

The theme song was entitled "Running Toward the Days of Future" (奔向未來日子) and was composed by Hong Kong iconic musician Joseph Koo (顧嘉煇).

Together with the movie directed by John Woo, the song has been very popular in South Korea during the 1980s and the 1990s.

In a comment published in January 2021, a netizen explained the sentiment shared by the South Korean population towards this Hong Kong movie:

"Probably, Hongkonger do not understand the reason for popularity of this title song. All most all Korean was depressed due to the military junta in the late 1980 and early 1990. The miserable situation could be found from movies, Tax Driver, 1987 etc.

The counterpart of heroes, Leslie Cheung, Donald Chow Aman Chow and Ti Lung, really really touched the heart of Korean - we can change the life. Now, we are likely to say that... you can change your world as we did."

Other netizens concurred and left words of support for Hongkongers to fight for democracy and freedom in today's context.

Watch the orchestra's performance here:
https://youtu.be/mJfgb7ySgeo

Source: Youtube

#SouthKorea #GlobalSupport #HongKongCinema #CantoPop #ABetterTomorrow #KoreanPopsOrchestra

#Arts #FilmAwards
#Documentary about Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protests Awarded Grand Prize in Taiwan

[Editor's note: The Hong Kong authorities had classified the two documentary films as Category III, calling it "unsuitable" for an audience below 18 years of age. The authorities also demanded a warning to be placed before the films]

Hong Kong protest-related documentaries has won awards across the world.

The award ceremony of the 12th Taiwan International Documentary Festival unveiled on May 6, 2021 in which "Taking Back the Legislature" and "Inside the Red Brick Wall" were awarded Grand Prize for the Chinese-language Documentary Category.

The Jury explained the prize was given for “the capture of passion and contradictions of the insurgency of a people”.

“The Jury wishes to thank the collective communion of the group of filmmakers… for contributing to our understanding of how cinema feeds the conscience and collective memory of the world in our era of overwhelming control and surveillance. ”

The two documentary films capture different moments during the 2019 anti-ELAB protests in Hong Kong.

"Taking back the Legislature" is a documentation of the first instance of an occupation of Hong Kong’s legislature on July 1, 2019, while "Inside the Red Brick Wall" is about the week-long siege of the police on Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU) in November 2019.

Source: Stand News #May3
https://bit.ly/2SrFYTX

#YingEChi #HongKongCinema #InsidetheRedBrickWall

#IndieCinema #FilmFestival
#Japan Organizes "Hong Kong Independent Film Festival" to show protest-related films

Just as Hong Kong-produced documentaries about the 2019 Anti-ELAB protests such as "Inside the Red Brick Wall" and "Taking back the Legislature" cannot be run in Hong Kong theatres due to the concerns with the #NationalSecurityLaw; a group of cinephilles in Japan are organizing the second edition of the "Hong Kong Independent Film Festival" (2021年香港インディペンデント映画祭) from 19 June to 25 June, 2021.

The film festival will show 18 feature length and short films from Hong Kong, including documentaries that record the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 pro-democracy movement.

The organizers aim to help Japanese audience to reflect on the change of Hong Kong society, Hong Kong-China relations and the identity issue of Hong Kong people in the recent years.

Source: Stand News #May25

https://bit.ly/3ipQ3fi

#HongKongCulture #HongKongCinema #HongKongProtests #HongKongDocumentaries
#InsidetheRedBrickWall #TakingBacktheLegislature
#YingEChi

#Censorship #PoliceState
Hong Kong Authotities Amend #FilmCensorshipOrdinance, Demanding Censors to Ban Films that “Endanger National Security”

The Hong Kong government amended and implemented the guideline for censors under the Film Censorship Ordinance on June 11, 2021.

The amendments are associated to the #NationalSecurityLaw that has been forcefully enacted in June 2020.

The government demands the Censors to check whether a film contains any content that portrays "activities that endanger national security", and any content that is “objectively and reasonably capable of being perceived as endorsing, supporting, promoting, glorifying, encouraging or inciting such act or activity”. The Ordinance allows censors to ban the film.

Source: InMedia #Jun11 https://bit.ly/3xeNoJy

#HongKongCinema #FilmCensor #FreeSpeech #WhiteTerror

#Censorship #WhiteTerror
Indie Film Organization criticises Hong Kong authorities for “doing everything possible” to censor films

#YingEChi, an independent film distributor in Hong Kong, was accused of “inciting riots and spreading Hong Kong independence messages” by pro-Beijing media.

The group is the distributor of “Inside the Red Brick Wall”, a documentary that covered the pro-democracy protest and thr police siege that occurred at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU) in 2019.

Not only was Ying E Chi’s annual funding halted by the Arts Developments Council (#ADC); Ying E Chi was also unable to hold its Short Film Marathon scheduled on July 10, 2021.

In its open house event on July 10, art director Vincent Chui said, the only thing they can do is to push its limits behind the red line of the film industry.

Chui criticised the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (#OFNAA) for doing “everything possible” to censor controversial films. “In the coming future they might even have to review wedding videos and only allow licensed restaurants to play those videos on a wedding day”.

Source: In Media HK #Jul11
https://bit.ly/3e1I3Oo

#HongKongCinema #Documentary #PoliticalSuppression

Film Star Chow Yun-fat Thanks Fellow #Hongkongers in Congregation Ceremony

Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat received a honary doctoral degree in humanities at Hong Kong Baptist University on August 7, 2021.

In his speech, Chow humorously recalled the different stages of his acting career, from television to cinema, Hong Kong to Hollywood.

Chow especially thanked the support, encouragement and affection extended by Hongkongers. "I need to thank Hong Kong as a place which bestowed on me wisedom and love. Thank you, Hongkongers. Thank you, Hong Kong."

Source: InMedia #Aug7

#ChowYunFat #Actor #Celebrity #Hollywood #HongKongCinema

#Culture #Conscience
Hong Kong Filmmaker #KiwiChow: Prepared to face sanctions & imprisonment

Screened on the penultimate day of the 74th #Cannes Film Festival in mid-July 2021 is the Hong Kong protest documentary, #RevolutionOfOurTimes, which captured the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong in 2019, following the Government’s attempt to promulgate the extradition law.

Knowing that he could potentially be exposed to sanction under the territory’s National Security Law, director Kiwi Chow is the only name credited on the documentary, as his financiers and technical collaborators have all chosen to remain anonymous.

Chow was director of many popular Hong Kong films such like “Ten Year” (the short "Self- Immolator”) and “Beyond the Dream”. He acknowledged that only "Revolution of our Times" has given him the biggest strain.

Before the film's premiere, he was asked to remain anonymous. He also received threatening phone calls telling him to leave Hong Kong immediately. But Kiwi Chow chose to stay and carry on his life in Hong Kong as usual.

Chow is even willing to be interviewed by media to talk about freedom, talk about film and his belief.

Chow anticipated that the documentary will not be allowed to be shown in Hong Kong. He even prepared to face imprisonment. Chow said, “ I am innocent under the long standing framework of Basic Law, not to mention that the documentary was filmed and completed before the National Security Law was implemented.”

Chow said, if he is ever being arrested. He is certainly a political prisoner. “I think political prisoner is a self-invited humiliation to a regime.”

#PoliticalSuppression #Unafraid #Film #HongKongCinema

Source: Stand News; #Aug7
https://www.thestandnews.com/media/video/images/%E5%8B%87%E6%B0%A3%E4%B8%8D%E6%BB%85-%E5%91%A8%E5%86%A0%E5%A8%81

#FirstHand #PoliceState
HK Police sends undercover officer and interrupts private screening of #KiwiChow's movie

A private screening of a Hong Kong romance movie "Beyond the Dream" was held on August 27, 2021 by a pro-democracy district councilor, Derek Chu Kong-wai, in his councilor's office in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.

The film's director, #KiwiChow, was invited to the screening to share his thoughts on its making.

The screening, however, was interrupted by a large group of police officers and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

The officers, initially, stationed outside Chu’s office while some entered his office to take photograph and record the scene. Soon after Kiwi Chow began sharing his thoughts on the making of the movie, police officers forced their way into the office space, accusing the attendees for breaching the 599G gathering restriction. Fine tickets were immediately issued to the 40 some citizens in attendance.

Police also set up a cordon line and told reporters to leave the office, calling it a crime scene.

Kiwi Chow and Chu Kong-wai spoke to media that the screening was a private event among friends. They felt that the actions of the police were absurd and unacceptable. Both questioned the police's rationale for sending an “undercover officer” to the private screening, as well as their definition of "public places".

However, Chow said that he still enjoyed the experience of the evening, because he was only sharing about the movie, and he hadn't talked about "Beyond the Dream" for quite some time. He also enjoyed the dialogue with the audience, and regretted that certain people had interfered.

"I really enjoy sharing about the movie, and I treasure the time of the dialogue. I have no fear; sharing the movie is a joy to me."

Editor's note:
Kiwi Chow is also the director of the documentary "#RevolutionOfOurTimes", which made international headlines with its surprise showing at the 2021 Cannes Film festival. "Beyond the Dream", a romance movie, received widespread support by Hong Kong moviegoers, and was among the top 10 most profitable movies in the city in 2020. It went on to win Best Adapted Screenplay at Taiwan's Golden Horse Award, and was also nominated for multiple other awards in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

#Aug27 #HongKongCinema #Film #PoliticalSuppression
Source: First Hand, Citizen News

Tears shed at Premier of PolyU Siege Documentary in London

#PolyUseige #FightForFreedom #StandwithHK #Documentary #InsidetheRedBrickWall #HongKongCinema #Screening #London

Source: Stand News; #Sept12

Read More
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Tears Shed at Premier of PolyU Siege Documentary in London

The documentary "Inside the Red Brick Wall" was shown in the Open City documentary festival in London on September 11. The film captured one of the most aggressive crackdowns of Hongkonger's fight for democracy during the anti-Extradition movement in 2019, the police siege against protesters in Polytechnic University (#PolyU).

Many Hongkongers that have recently arrived in the UK went to see this documentary. Among them was a pro-democracy supporters, K, who said she took part in one of the demonstrations near the university. K told reporters that the documentary has brought back memories of the crackdown and her involvement in those demonstrations.

She was very saddened because she knew that those endured the sufferings during the siege were ordinary youngsters, real people with flesh and blood. She couldn't help but shed tears as she watched the documentary.

K acknowledged that the screening in UK did provide a platform for Hongkongers to get together, so that they knew they were not alone and can seek support when needed.

She hopes for the documentary to be shown in other countries, to let the world better understand what is happening in Hong Kong. She believes that the question-and-answer session at the end of the show helped local people understand what Hong Kong people has gone through during the movement.

#PolyUseige #FightForFreedom #StandwithHK #Documentary #InsidetheRedBrickWall #HongKongCinema #Screening #London

Source: Stand News; #Sept12
https://www.thestandnews.com/international/%E7%90%86%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%8D%E5%9F%8E%E8%8B%B1%E5%9C%8B%E9%A6%96%E6%94%BE%E6%98%A0-%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E8%A7%80%E5%BD%B1%E8%90%BD%E6%B7%9A