Revolution of Our Times

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Revolution of Our Times
Revolution of Our Times (Official Film Poster).jpg
Official Poster
Traditional時代革命
Directed byKiwi Chow
Produced byHong Kongers
Release date
  • 16 July 2021 (2021-07-16) (Cannes)
Running time
152 mins
CountryHong Kong
LanguageHong Kong Cantonese
Revolution of Our Times
Traditional Chinese時代革命
Literal meaning(the) age (of) revolution

Revolution of Our Times (Chinese: 時代革命) is a 2021 Hong Kong documentary film directed by Kiwi Chow. With interviews and footage of the frontline protest scenes, the film covers the stories of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The documentary takes its name from a locally well-known political slogan "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" which has been ruled as illegal by the Hong Kong High Court. The film had its debut in the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in France and is currently banned in China and Hong Kong.[1][2]

Synopsis[]

For many years, Hong Kongers have fought for freedoms and democracy but have yet succeeded. In 2019, a proposed extradition legislation ignited heated debates in Hong Kong and gave birth to wave after wave of protests. The documentary features seven groups of protestors and pieces their tales together into one big story to chronicle the protest movement.[1]

Legality Issues[]

The documentary gets its name from the second half of a ubiquitous political slogan of "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times". In July 2021, three specially designated national security law judges of the Hong Kong High Court unanimously convicted a Hong Kong protestor, named Tong Ying Kit, for endangering national security because Tong had carried a flag emblazoned with the slogan.[3] The judges ruled that the display of the phrase was "capable of inciting others to commit secession" and thus violated the national security law implemented in Hong Kong by China.[4] Per this ruling and the national security law, it is believed that the documentary is also illegal.[5]

In addition, the national security law contains provisions for extraterritorial jurisdiction which means the law covers every person everywhere on earth, including foreign cinemagoers and film festival organisers for their actions outside Hong Kong.[6] Legal scholars have warned that anyone who has done anything that might offend the Hong Kong government should stay out of Hong Kong.[7][8] Quite a few countries have issued travel warnings about it, including Australia,[9] Canada,[10] Ireland,[11] New Zealand,[12] the UK,[13] and the US.[14]

Production[]

The documentary is officially said to be produced "by Hong Kongers" as the political situation and legal environment of Hong Kong compels strict secrecy and anonymity over the making of the film.[15] The only individual who was involved in the production of the documentary but has since revealed their own identity is the director, Kiwi Chow.[16] He has explained to the press that the revelation of his identify was his way to fight back against self-censorship.[16]

Yet, other than Chow, all members of the film crew and production team have remained anonymous. Who funded the making of the film is also unknown, but Chow has mentioned that a businessperson invited him to make the documentary.[17] Many individuals had also decided to quit midway during the two-year production of the documentary.[17] Chow has also been deeply grateful to other filmmakers and photographers who had given him a lot of footage and materials to use, especially when one of them had decided to stop creating their own film projects out of fear that they could run into trouble with the controversial national security law newly imposed on Hong Kong by China.[17]

Screenings & Releases[]

Because it has been judged that the action of displaying the phrase "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" is an illegal activity, it is not possible to screen or show the documentary anywhere in its homeland.[5] However, it has been able to screen the film outside Hong Kong as the copyrights, masters, and materials of the film have already been sold abroad.[18][19] The documentary made its debut in 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Canada[]

The film had its first screening in Canada in February 2022 across several cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria.[20] The documentary has been very popular, and tickets got sold out fast. The film was originally intended to be screened in February only, but the organisers are planning to have extra screenings in March.[20]

France: Cannes Film Festival[]

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival saw the world premiere of the film, but the existence of the film was not known to the public until the day before the awards ceremony.[21] The documentary had long been accepted into the film festival, but it was kept as a secret. The organisers explained that they had done so because the film had not been completed until the very last moment.[22] Yet, it was reported that the film festival organisers had actually been concerned that the potential backlash from Chinese authorities would have caused Chinese filmmakers of other films to withdraw from the festival if the news of the inclusion of the documentary had been made public in advance.[21] In any case, the festival only held a confidential screening of the film to a small group of journalists and waited until the day before the ceremony to make a statement about the film.[23][22]

Japan: Tokyo Filmex[]

Similar to Cannes, the Tokyo Filmex did not make known to the public in advance there would be any screening of the film in case of Chinese sabotage.[24] The documentary got a surprise screening on the last day of the film festival. Even though the announcement of the special showing of the documentary did not get made until the day before, it was reported that the whole venue of 700 seats was full.[24]

Taiwan[]

In Taiwan, the documentary was first intended to only premiere for four days during the 2021 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, but tickets got sold out within one hour of sale.[25] Two extra screenings were then added, but tickets were snapped up at a much faster pace and gone within five minutes.[25] The documentary is going to see its first public release in the world in Taiwan on 25 February 2022.[26]

United States[]

The start of the premiere week in the US coincided with 2021 Human Rights Day.[27] The film was available at selected cinemas in seven cities: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC.[27][28]

Accolades[]

Award/Film Festival Date of Ceremony/Announcement Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Horse Award 27 November 2021 Best Documentary Kiwi Chow Won [2]
Golden Horse Film Festival 28 November 2021 Audience Choice The film itself Top 1 [29][30]
FIPADOC 23 January 2022 Impact Documentary The film itself Grand Prize [31]
FIPADOC 23 January 2022 CNC Cultural Images The film itself Grand Prize [31]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "SPECIAL SCREENINGS: REVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Hong Kong protest film wins Taiwan's Gold Horse award". France 24. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021.
  3. ^ "'Liberate Hong Kong': The slogan that will land you in jail". BBC. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021.
  4. ^ Reasons for Verdict (27 July 2021). "HKSAR v Tong Ying Kit". Hong Kong Judiciary. Hong Kong High Court. Paragraph 171. ...such display of the words was capable of inciting others to commit secession...
  5. ^ a b "Cannes Takes Diplomatic Gamble, Gives Late Festival Slot to 'Revolution of Our Times' Hong Kong Protest Feature". Variety. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. The NSL makes the slogan "Revolution of our times" illegal in Hong Kong. And the same will almost certainly go for the film, too.
  6. ^ "The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" (PDF). Hong Kong Government. Article 38 This Law shall apply to offences under this Law committed against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region.
  7. ^ "China's national security law for Hong Kong covers everyone on Earth". Quartz. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. The new law is "asserting extraterritorial jurisdiction over every person on the planet," wrote Donald Clarke, a professor of law at George Washington University..."If you've ever said anything that might offend the [Chinese] or Hong Kong authorities, stay out of Hong Kong."
  8. ^ "China Thinks It Can Arrest Basically Anyone on the Planet for Criticizing Communism". Vice. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Beijing has long shown its willingness to use such crimes to silence critics who peacefully advocate for political change," Maggie Lewis, a law professor at Seton Hall Law School and a specialist in Hong Kong and Taiwan, told VICE News...How the law will be used or who specifically it will target won't be known until Beijing begins to implement it, but the law has been written so that the Chinese government can change who it targets over time to suit its needs: "Who is considered a national security threat might adjust," Lewis said. "This law is flexible and can be used against a variety of people and in a variety of situations. That's why the chilling effect is so powerful.
  9. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Hong Kong Travel Advice". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. National security legislation for Hong Kong came into effect on 1 July 2020. This law could be interpreted broadly and the full extent of the law and how it will be applied is not yet clear. You could break the law without intending to. You may be at increased risk of detention on vaguely defined national security grounds. The maximum penalty under this law in Hong Kong is life imprisonment. Under the law, you could be deported or face possible transfer to mainland China for prosecution under mainland law.
  10. ^ "Travel Advice for Hong Kong". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 December 2021. National security legislation for Hong Kong came into effect on June 30, 2020. Activities considered as national security violations are broadly and vaguely defined. They could include activities that are not considered illegal in Canada and that occurred outside of Hong Kong. You risk being arbitrarily detained on national security grounds, even while you are transiting through Hong Kong. You could be subject to transfer to mainland China for prosecution. Penalties are severe and include life imprisonment.
  11. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs. "Travel Advice: China - Hong Kong / Macau". Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. A National Security Law passed by Mainland Chinese authorities came into effect in Hong Kong on 1 July 2020. It introduces offences on secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with a foreign country with mandatory penalties up to and including life imprisonment depending on the severity of the charges. People arrested under the National Security Law may be transferred to Mainland China for trial under certain circumstances. The full extent of this law and how it is applied is not yet clear, but charges under this legislation can be applied to activities, including statements made on social media, undertaken while outside of Hong Kong.
  12. ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Travel Advisory: Hong Kong". New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. National security legislation for Hong Kong came into effect on 1 July 2020. This legislation could be interpreted broadly, leading to increased risk of arrest and prosecution on national security grounds for a wide range of activity, including protest activity, which may not be limited to activity in Hong Kong. There is a possibility of being detained and removed to mainland China for those who are arrested under the legislation. The maximum penalty under this law in Hong Kong is life imprisonment.
  13. ^ UK Government. "Foreign travel advice: Hong Kong". Gov.uk. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Following the implementation of the National Security Law on 1 July 2020, certain behaviours may now be deemed illegal and attract greater scrutiny from the authorities.
  14. ^ "Travel Advisory: Hong Kong". U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Since the imposition of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020, the PRC unilaterally and arbitrarily exercises police and security power in Hong Kong. The PRC has demonstrated an intention to use this authority to target a broad range of activities it defines as acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign entities. The National Security Law also covers offenses committed by non-Hong Kong residents or organizations outside of Hong Kong, which could subject U.S. citizens who have been publicly critical of the PRC to a heightened risk of arrest, detention, expulsion, or prosecution. PRC security forces, including the new Office for Safeguarding National Security, now operate in Hong Kong and are not subject to oversight by the Hong Kong judiciary.
  15. ^ "金馬爆點｜《時代革命》記錄反送中奪獎　導演哽咽「靠電影面對恐懼與創傷」". Apple Daily (Taiwan) (in Chinese). 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b "秘密製作反送中紀錄片入選康城　周冠威堅持公開身分﹕不想揣度紅線在哪，否則不成自由". The Stand News (in Cantonese). 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021.
  17. ^ a b c "【專訪】《時代革命》入圍康城　恐懼中堅持　周冠威：拍紀錄片而已，不需那麼快後退". The Stand News (in Cantonese). 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Statement". Instagram. 23 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. All rights and materials of "Revolution of Our Times" are not in the hands of Director Kiwi Chow anymore, but handled by an overseas unit. We are open to distributors, sales companies and streaming platforms who are interested in bringing "Revolution of Our Times" to different parts of the world.
  19. ^ "《時代革命》團隊：影片版權已轉移海外　持有人開放合作". The Stand News (in Cantonese). 24 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. 《時代革命》團隊今（24 日）凌晨指，該片版權及影片已轉移海外，由海外版權持有單位處理，並開放與任何有意代理或發行者合作。
  20. ^ a b "Hong Kong protest film sells out within minutes in Vancouver". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Event organizer Sam Lung says he didn't expect the Vancouver screenings to be so popular. Tickets for the 10 screenings scheduled for February were sold out in about three minutes, while tickets for four sessions that were added in March to meet the high demand sold out in an hour.
  21. ^ a b "Cannes' Bombshell Hong Kong Protest Doc Director Speaks Out on Covering Pro-Democracy Demonstrations, Risking Imprisonment". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. It later became known that the film had been accepted into Cannes months prior, but organizers opted to keep its inclusion secret, for fear that advance publicity might result in Beijing officials forcing other Chinese filmmakers to withdraw from the festival. Cannes had legitimate reason to be concerned: Earlier this year, the 93rd Oscars were pulled from broadcast in China for the first time in decades after a Norwegian director's short film about the Hong Kong protests was nominated in the short documentary category. Similarly, virtually no Chinese filmmakers have been able to attend Taiwan's once-influential Golden Horse Film Festival since 2018, when a filmmaker made a brief plea for Taiwanese independence during an acceptance speech.
  22. ^ a b "Cannes to screen Hong Kong protest documentary, risking controversy". Reuters. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Cannes organisers said they had kept the screening under wraps in part as the film was not fully finished until the last minute, but had been interested ever since seeing early clips.
  23. ^ "From Cannes: Surprise Chow Premiere is Truly a 'Revolution of Our Times'". The Harvard Crimson. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. This week, the Cannes Film Festival secretly added a last-minute film to its lineup: "Revolution of Our Times," a fiery and gripping account of Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy protests. The "surprise documentary," which was first screened confidentially to a small group of journalists on July 15, follows seven distinct groups made up of student protesters (like the Valiants, a vigilante group of pro-democracy revolutionaries), journalists, and others who have led the way in protesting for a democratic Hong Kong.
  24. ^ a b "'Revolution of Our Times': Japan Screens Movie Banned in Hong Kong". Japan Forward. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. The screening this time was a special showing on the final day of the Tokyo Filmex international film festival. The 700-seat venue was full, even though it had not been announced until the day before due to concerns about Chinese sabotage.
  25. ^ a b "《少年》、《時代革命》金馬影展各加演2場　5分鐘再度售罄". Hong Kong Citizen News (眾新聞) (in Chinese). 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. 《少年》、《時代革命》兩片在2021台北金馬影展引發搶購，繼10月30日原先各4個場次在一小時內秒殺後，昨金馬影展宣布兩部影片各加演2場，結果今天下午1點開賣，5分鐘內，4個場次再度被搶購一空。
  26. ^ "《時代革命》台灣獨家上映 導演淚喊話「請珍惜自由」". TVBS. 11 January 2022.
  27. ^ a b "《時代革命》在美國上畫反應熱烈　導演周冠威：「記住這場抗爭」". Radio Free Asia (in Chinese). 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  28. ^ revolutionofourtimes.film (7 December 2021). "U.S Premiere Week: World's First Public Screening December 10th - 19th". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021.
  29. ^ "獲「最佳紀錄片」後　《時代革命》再成金馬影展觀眾票選冠軍". Hong Kong Citizen News (眾新聞) (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 1 December 2021.
  30. ^ Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (28 November 2021). 2021台北金馬影展 │ 11.28 觀眾票選排行榜. Facebook (in Chinese).
  31. ^ a b "GRAND PRIX DOCUMENTAIRE IMPACT". FIPADOC (in French). 23 January 2022. Les jurés Thierry de Lestrade, @jenn_deschamps et Hasse van Nunen ont décerné le GRAND PRIX DOCUMENTAIRE IMPACT et le GRAND PRIX IMPACT CNC - Images de la culture à @revolutionofourtimes.film de Kiwi Chow.

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