Cannes Film Festival to Screen Documentary on Hong Kong Democratization

Director Kiwi Chou Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A documentary film about Hong Kong's 2019 democratization protests will be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 15th (local time) that "the festival organizers kept the screening of the film titled 'Revolution of Our Times' a secret until the very end before deciding to show it."

Directed by Kiwi Chow, who was born in Hong Kong, the film features seven individuals resisting the Chinese government and concludes with the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, which neutralized the opposition.

The film, with a total runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes, opens by showing the front lines of the protesters in June 2019 and includes scenes of police suppressing university campuses. Director Chow even slept on the floor for three days and two nights at one of these universities while filming.

He worked secretly for two years to avoid Chinese government censorship. He also disregarded advice from those around him not to leave Hong Kong or reveal his name even if he made the film.

On the day after submitting the film to the Cannes Film Festival last month on the 30th, Director Chow said at his office in Hong Kong, "I had a nightmare of being arrested and assaulted by the police, but I did not want to succumb to fear." He had sent an early cut of the film to the Cannes Film Festival last spring and resent the completed work after it was selected as a special screening.

Earlier this year, the Chinese government censored news domestically about Chloe Zhao, who is of Chinese origin and became the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, due to her past anti-China remarks.

Hong Kong has also recently strengthened censorship, and although the Norwegian documentary about the Hong Kong protests, 'Do Not Split,' was nominated for an Academy Award, related news was also suppressed from being reported.