Hong Kong film-makers say censorship law spooks investors, actors
贬翱狈骋听KONG听–听Two years after screening an internationally acclaimed documentary on the democracy movement in听贬辞苍驳听Kong, director Kiwi Chow has been forced to complete a new movie with fresh financing after political concerns scared off some听颈苍惫别蝉迟辞谤蝉.
The fears spiked after听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听补诲辞辫迟别诲听聽in October 2021 to bar听蹿颈濒尘s that “might endanger national security”, but directors听蝉补测听they now face difficulties lining up funding and even听补肠迟辞谤蝉, while others have shifted overseas.
“础肠迟辞谤蝉听under the听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听蹿颈濒尘听companies are very afraid, and this fear shadows everything,” said Chow, who felt the situation had made performers, and听颈苍惫别蝉迟辞谤蝉, apprehensive about crossing ill-defined “red lines” concerning national security.
“This is what makes it scary, it doesn鈥檛 need to suppress you directly, but it has already made all these people scared,” he added.
Chow, feted at the Cannes听蹿颈濒尘聽festival in 2021 for his documentary, “Revolution of Our Times”, said it was clear when the new听濒补飞听came in that听蹿颈濒尘聽尘补办别谤蝉听would have to steer clear of political topics.
But he did not realize then that people would be so risk-averse, even if he had not been found guilty of anything.
The听肠别苍蝉辞谤蝉丑颈辫听measure, which follows聽聽China imposed on the Asian financial hub in 2020, means directors now need to steer clear of some topics to avoid putting听颈苍惫别蝉迟辞谤蝉聽and听补肠迟辞谤蝉聽at risk, some听蹿颈濒尘–尘补办别谤蝉听said.
At least 21 movies and short听蹿颈濒尘s have had scenes cut or their release blocked by听贬辞苍驳听Kong‘s Office for听贵颈濒尘, Newspaper and Article Association (OFNAA) since October 2021, a Reuters tally showed.
In an email statement, the office said it had processed about 5,000 applications for听蹿颈濒尘聽classification since January 2021, denying approval for public exhibition to six of them.
But it declined to comment on individual听蹿颈濒尘s.
Since 2005, the former British colony has injected HK$1.54 billion into the听贵颈濒尘聽Development Fund. But in February, its culture secretary, Kevin Yeung, warned that funds would not be allocated to听蹿颈濒尘聽projects that might infringe the 2020听濒补飞.
It is not immediately clear how much听肠别苍蝉辞谤蝉丑颈辫听measure has affected such funding.
Replying to a Reuters query,听贬辞苍驳听Kong‘s听贵颈濒尘聽Development Council, which is mainly responsible for government funding of the industry, said in an email it would have to look into the matter before responding.
Yet听蹿颈濒尘–尘补办别谤蝉听see little room for maneuver.
Chow scrambled to complete his new听蹿颈濒尘聽after听颈苍惫别蝉迟辞谤蝉聽pulled 80% of its HK$8 million ($1 million) funding and the main actor withdrew.
Although his听蹿颈濒尘, “厂补测听I Do To Me”, a love story about a young woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, is far from political, Chow said听颈苍惫别蝉迟辞谤蝉聽told him they could not take the risk as they still had to do business with China.
“For them, ‘Revolution of Our Times’ is a very sensitive movie,” Chow added. “They think they have business with China, so even if there is little risk, they all find it unacceptable, not to mention that in their eyes, this is a very high risk.”
In response to a Reuters query, a police spokesman declined to clarify whether watching or downloading the听蹿颈濒尘聽was illegal, however.
FRESH FUNDING
About 40 to 50 supporters injected fresh funding to help him complete it, he added.
“‘Revolution of Our Times’ made me lose a lot of things, but it has also attracted some other new funding.”
Some听补肠迟辞谤蝉聽who wanted to participate in the new听蹿颈濒尘聽were either pressed not to do so by their management companies, or told by producers that scenes featuring them would be cut from other movies, Chow said.
Some told Chow they had signed contracts barring them from making speeches that violate the national security听濒补飞听or co-operating with people considered a political risk.
“These contracts use economic pressure to restrain them, so that they cannot speak up,” he said.
The聽尘补办别谤蝉听of three short听蹿颈濒尘s screened at the Fresh Wave International听贵颈濒尘聽Festival in June “had chosen to replace the deleted parts with black images and muted sound” after they were censored, organizers said.
Rex Ren and David Chan, co-founders of independent production group Phone Made Good听贵颈濒尘, said they had no plan to seek government funds and would keep to small budgets instead.
“It’s because we need to create, so we persist in听贬辞苍驳听Kong,” Mr. Ren said.
The day before their Loose Narratives short听蹿颈濒尘聽festival began in April, censors denied approval for their short听蹿颈濒尘聽“Wake in Silence”, citing “possible seditious intentions”.
The scene in question showed a flag of the now disbanded pro-democracy party Demosisto with the slogan, “100% Freedom”.
The tale of a girl who misses her boyfriend after he left the city was the third听蹿颈濒尘聽censored in the festival.
“I already feel that the need to be safe has increased a lot, and there are some topics that have become taboo,” said Ho Cheuk-Tin, adjudged Best New Director at this year’s听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听贵颈濒尘听Awards for his听蹿颈濒尘, “The Sparring Partner” .
Ho, who has been busy promoting his second movie, “Over My Dead Body”, a comedy about the frenzied real estate market, has chosen to stay on, however.
“I consider myself more commercial, but I still hope to have lots of听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听elements in my movies,” he said.
Others, in contrast, have moved abroad to take听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听films to the diaspora communities and global audiences in Britain, Canada and the United States.
“We are scared of the disappearance of the culture and arts of听贬辞苍驳听Kong,” said Ching Wong, who founded听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听贵颈濒尘听Festival UK along with director Ng Ka Leung in 2021. It held more than 60 screenings across seven British cities in March.
Still, for those at home, the scenario remains bleak.
“At this moment, the chance of me finding funds in the听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听market and the听贬辞苍驳听碍辞苍驳听government seems to be close to zero,”听蹿颈濒尘-maker Chow said. –聽 Reuters
