UCA News
Contribute

Censors cast shadow over Hong Kong cinema

Authorities take their purge of dissent into the cultural sphere with film cuts for national security
Censors cast shadow over Hong Kong cinema

Film director Kiwi Chow says censors are trying to clamp down on people's memory and imagination. (Photo: AFP)

Published: September 21, 2021 06:39 AM GMT
Updated: September 21, 2021 06:59 AM GMT

Once renowned for world-class cinema, Hong Kong's film industry was already struggling before the latest hurdle — Chinese mainland-style censorship as authorities take their purge of dissent into the cultural sphere.

Filmmaker Mok Kwan-ling's heart sank when the email from the government censors dropped.

In June, authorities announced all films would now be scrutinized for national security breaches. Mok's was the first known to have fallen foul of these rules.

For months, she had been putting together her debut, a 27-minute drama inspired by the many young couples she encountered during huge democracy protests two years ago.

It tells the story of a young woman meeting her boyfriend's parents after he is arrested for taking part in the protests. The boyfriend's mother is opposed to the movement, his father sympathetic.

The Cantonese title Zap Uk (literally "clean up the house") is a reference to how friends and family would often remove any incriminating items once a loved one was arrested.

I thought the story was rather balanced by presenting voices of two sides. It turned out that one particular side is not allowed to be heard

But Mok said Hong Kong's film censors were not happy with what was submitted and ordered her to make 14 cuts.

Among the changes they demanded was removing a line from the father saying their son was a first aid volunteer who was "only out there to save the people" as well as deleting a scene where the same character, a truck driver, charges protesters a discounted fare.

The censors also demanded the film be renamed and carry a warning that it showed criminal offenses.

"I thought the story was rather balanced by presenting voices of two sides," Mok told AFP. "It turned out that one particular side is not allowed to be heard."

Mok felt the cuts would leave her film "devoid of essence and sense," so she put it aside for now. "My film happened to be the first but it won't be the last," she warned.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong was known as "The Hollywood of the Far East", with a cast of globally recognised stars like Chow Yun-fat and auteurs such as Wong Kar-wai.

The golden age of Cantonese cinema has long been eclipsed by the rise of mainland Chinese and South Korean films.

But the city maintained a vibrant indie scene, shielded by free speech protections that allowed directors to tackle subjects that would be untouchable on the authoritarian mainland.

Those days are now over. China is rapidly remoulding Hong Kong in its own image after the democracy protests, and films are just the latest in a long list of targets.

On top of the new scrutiny rules, a law making its way through the legislature will expand censorship to films previously given clearance as well as tightening the punishment for breaches.

Kiwi Chow was one of five directors who contributed short stories for Ten Years. The 2015 film painted a dystopian portrait of what Hong Kong might look like in a decade with Beijing stifling freedoms and the city's Cantonese culture.

As well as being prescient, Ten Years was a commercial hit and won best film at the city's annual awards. But it is unlikely that a production like that could now be made — or even shown.

"They are trying to clamp down on our memory and imagination," Chow told AFP.

If it is dangerous and risky for filmmakers to touch upon social issues ... then I could only screen it outside Hong Kong

Chow's latest project, Revolution of Our Times, is a 2.5 hour-long documentary on the 2019 protests.

Organizers secretly added it to the Cannes Festival Festival linup earlier this summer — only once the mainland Chinese films had been shown.

But Chow said he has given up any hope of showing it in Hong Kong. "If it is dangerous and risky for filmmakers to touch upon social issues ... then I could only screen it outside Hong Kong," he said.

To protect himself, Chow said, he has sold the copyright and disposed of all locally held footage. The production team, collaborators and financial backers have chosen to remain anonymous.

Still, some investors and actors have backed out of his non-political productions and a recent screening of a romance he made was raided by police.

Fear of angering Beijing has long fuelled self-censorship in Hong Kong's arts, but mainland-style blacklisting of those who speak out is now also happening.

Earlier this month, pro-democracy pop star Denise Ho was forced to cancel her concert after the venue pulled out citing "public security" concerns just days before her performance.

But Chow predicts censorship will do little to change Hong Kongers' desire for a greater say in how their city is run and smacks of weakness.

"The more is banned in the name of national security, the less secure the state will be," he said.

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia