📡Guardians of Hong Kong
9.58K subscribers
21.6K photos
1.88K videos
27 files
9.99K links
We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/BeWaterHongKong
Instagram: @guardiansofhk
Website: https://guardiansofhk.com/
Download Telegram
#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
⬇️⬇️⬇️
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
#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Film Censorship Ordinance Amended in HK, as Pro-China Lawmaker Claims a Hong Kong Film is Toxic to Teenagers

October 27, 2021 marks the final meeting of the Legislative Council after the extension of its terms. The last item on the agenda was the 2021 Film Censorship Ordinance Amendment Bill.

As only 5 councillors expressed their view, the legislation process took only 45 minutes to have the bill passed.

The bill authorises the #FilmCensorshipAuthority to check whether a film violates the national security law. It also allows the Chief Secretary of Administration to withdraw already-issued screening permits.

At the meeting, a pro-China lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-Fun comdemned a 2015-Hong Kong film called Ten Years for "hating the country", " romanticising hunger strike and self-immolaton", as well as "inciting Hong Kong independence".

She claimed that Hong Kong had lost "several generations of teenagers" and she hoped to remove what she called "toxic movies" by the censorship law.

Ng Ka-Leung, one of the producers of Ten years replied to media inquiry. He said that Hong Kong people have adequate ability to make judgement and logical thinking skills to proces the so called controversial content of the film.

He added, when some people manipulate power and suppress other people's thought, this is much more toxic not only to teenagers but also everyone in society.

He reiterated that a legal movie exhibition provides a reflective space and this has nothing to do with toxicity.

The producer agrees with Leung regarding the fact that "Hong Kong has lost a few generations of teenagers," but he emphasises that the imbalanced power and unmonitored system are the reasons to the loss of trust in the authority.

[Editor note: Ten Years is a Hong Kong dystopian speculative fictional film which depicts the deterioration human rights and freedom in future Hong Kong.]

#TenYears #Movie #NSL #LegCo #LeungMeiFun #Censorship #HongKongCinema

Source: WhatsNews Media #Oct29
https://t.me/WhatsNewsHK/2506
Surprise #Screening of Hong Kong Protest Documentary "Revolution of Our Times" at Film Festival in #Japan

The Tokyo Filmex festival wrapped up on November 7, 2021 with the surprise screening of Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow's “Revolution of Our Times,” a documentary about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

In an interview, a Hongkonger working in Japan told reporters that she cried so much and couldn’t stop while watching the film.

She added that the film was intense, which reminded her of countless police-civilian confrontations during the 2019 movement. “Perhaps , it is the pain that has connected Hongkongers,” she said.

Another local source reportrf that the theater was full as #Filmex quickly sold out some 700 tickets for the screening.

After the screening, the whole house of audiences stood on their feet and clapped for minutes to show their respect. Even some Japanese shed tears.

“Revolution of Our Times” had its world premiere in July in the #Cannes Film Festival, where the festival deliberately delayed announcing its programming in order to minimize the chance of political blowback from the Chinese government.

The Filmex organizers used the same approach and only announced the screening on November 6, which was one day before the event.

“Revolution of Our Times” was filmed by #KiwiChow for more than a year during the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong that was sparked off by the city government’s attempt to pass a law that would allow extradition to China.

The government action triggered massive peaceful protests, followed by several months of civil disobedience and on-street confrontation. This in turn was met by unprecedented military-style tactics on the part of Hong Kong police, an aggressive prosecution policy by the government and the imposition by Beijing of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

More recently, a new #FilmCensorship law introduced in Hong Kong in early November makes it unlikely that films like “Revolution of Our Times” will be allowed to screen in the city where it was made.

Sources: Citizen News; Stand News; Variety; #Oct7

https://bit.ly/3HkwA9J

#RevolutionOfOurTimes #HongKongCinema #Documentary #Art #FilmFestival #Censorship
#Action
Advocacy Group Campaigns for #Screening Films about Hongkongers' Fight for Democracy on #Netflix

"Fight for Freedom Stand with Hong Kong," a group advocates for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong called for fellow citizens to appeal to Netflix and request the showing of some pro-democracy documenteries and films produced in Hong Kong. These titles include:

- Revolution of Our Times;
- May You Stay Forever Young; and
- Far from Home

All these films chronicled the Anti-ELAB movement in Hong Kong in 2019, capturing the bravery and extraordinary resilience of youths in the face of brutal repression, and their plea for international help.

Under the #NationalSecurityLaw, it is a safe assumption that these films cannot be officially shown in Hong Kong.

On its Facebook post, the advocacy group cited the Chinese Communist Party's pressure as the key hinderance to distribution of these films.

The group encouraged netizens to make their voices heard through the "Title Request" page of Netflix:

https://help.netflix.com/en/titlerequest

Source: Fight for Freedom Stand with Hong Kong; #Nov10

https://www.facebook.com/standwithhk/posts/1329589067471758

#RevolutionOfOurTimes
#HongKongCinema #Documentary #Art #Streaming #FilmDistribution #Censorship
"Ten Years" Director Organizes #HongKongFilmFestival in the UK

Ka-Leung Ng, a Hong Kong director who produced the dytopian film #TenYears, has moved to the UK for almost a year; however, he did not announce his whereabouts until September 2021. When asked about the reason, Ng said, "I don't even know how to explain."

Being away for a year, #KaLeungNg still has his mind on Hong Kong, like many other Hong Kong people. Therefore, he organized the 1st Hong Kong Film Festival (UK) with fellows. It was held between March and April in #London, #Manchester, #Bristol and #Edinburgh.

Among his 16 film productions, there are videos related to social movements which are not allowed to be screened in Hong Kong. However, even more are small-scaled independent movie productions that even Hongkongers may not know them.

He knows that it is difficult to produce a movie freely in Hong Kong's current situation. Therefore, he hopes to promote Hong Kong movies in the #UK in various areas, topics and presentation ways throughout the Film Festival. He added, "Even if Hongkongers are emotionally eager to watch some of the movies, we have the responsibility to promote a breadth of movies. Therefore, more people can understand Hong Kong culture and stories... How Hong Kong films move further depends on how we continue to promote overseas."

Since people in the UK would like to watch HK movies but he does not have relevant experience, he and #ChingWong, with the aid of other people such as local film festival hosts and professors for HK movies, organise the event, titled "Rupture and Rebirth". "Rupture" can be understood as the change of not only interpersonal relationships due to imprisonment and being apart, but also the identity of #HKers and movie cultures. "Rebirth" indicates hope -- people try to find a way out of a bad situation. "Good artworks can still be seen in bad times". He emphasises that he does not intend to choose banned movies to screen, "when a place becomes abnormal, normal actions will be treated as weird".

Source: Inmedia #Mar12
https://bit.ly/3MLcRTa

#HongKongCinema
Hong Kong Filmmakers Sign #Manifesto to Uphold #CreativeFreedom

On July 13, 2022, thirty Hong Kong filmmakers released a manifesto, stating their determination to uphold creative freedom despite oppression.

The manifesto was initiated by Ren Xia, the director of May You Stay Young Forever, on the eve of the Hong Kong Film Awards. The manifesto aims to show solidarity and raise awareness among filmmakers. "[I] hope to let all of us [filmmakers] know we are not alone," said Ren.

The manifesto states that the filmmakers will not be deterred from speaking out. The filmmakers believe that films are most needed at these times; and that they "will be the change", and their "films will bring about changes and create a future for Hong Kong."

According to a previous survey by InMediaHK.net, at least 9 films failed to obtain a screening license or were required to censor part of their content in the past two years. The government had amended the Film Censorship Ordinance in 2021, banning films that "violate the #NationalSecurityLaw".

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul13
https://bit.ly/3c7Vu1g

#HongKongCinema #Hongkongers