Opening Gala: Revolution of Our Times 時代革命
:: UK PREMIERE ::
Hong Kong / 2021 / Colour / 152 mins
In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
Dir. Kiwi CHOW
This title is Suitable only for 15 years and over
LONDON
2022 / 03 / 19 (sat) - 5:30 PM
** Post-screening Q&A with the director via live-streaming
Genesis Cinema, London
2022 / 03 / 19 (SAT) - 2022 / 03 / 25 (FRI)
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
Genesis Cinema, London
2022 / 03 / 22 (TUE) - 6:30 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
PictureHouse Finsbury, London
2022 / 03 / 26 (Sat) - 2:00 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
Everyman Borough Yards, London
MANCHESTER
2022 / 03 / 30 (WED) - 5:00 PM
Everyman Manchester, Manchester
2022 / 03 / 30 (WED) - 8:30 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
Everyman Manchester, Manchester
BRISTOL
2022 / 04 / 03 (SUN) - 2:30 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
Watershed, Bristol
EDINBURGH
Part of “Towards Freedom” programme co-hosting with Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh, showcasing with May We Stay Forever Young and The Price of Democracy 狂飆一夢 (2019)
2022 / 04 / 01 (FRI) - 7:45 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
SummerHall, Edinburgh
2022 / 04 / 02 (SAT) - 7:45 PM
* Pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with the director
SummerHall, Edinburgh
“Hong Kong is on the frontlines of a global battle for freedom.” TIME Magazine
Over the past fifty years, Hongkongers have fought for freedom and democracy but have yet to succeed. In 2019, the “Extradition Bill” which would have allowed the extradition of Hongkongers to China, opened Pandora’s box, turning Hong Kong into a battlefield against Chinese authoritarian rule. The award-winning director of “Ten Years: Self Immolator,” Kiwi Chow, made this documentary to tell the story of the movement, both with a macro view of its historical context and up close and personal perspective on the front lines.
The 2019 movement is always labelled with the characteristics of “a decentralised leadership”, “be water” (flexible tactics), “do not split” (unity but in different ways) and “blossoming everywhere” (protests all over the territory). The film covers seven teams of protestors with diverse stories and backgrounds that are put together as a comprehensive picture of the versatile movement:
A group of netizens formed a sentinel station which spread first-hand information from the frontlines and coordinated “parent-cars” to help protestors escape;
An online journalist, who did the live broadcasting of the “Storming the Legislature” and the “Yuen Long Attack”, became an iconic figure and ultimately played a significant role in pushing the movement forward;
A 73-year-old farmer gathered with other elderlies and formed the “Protect the Children” group. He persisted in shielding young protesters with his own body, even after being knocked to the ground, and pepper-sprayed in the eyes by riot police;
A high school volunteer first-aider witnessed a subway terror attack by the police and was barred from entering the station to save the wounded. The nightmare made the once peacefully minded first-aider more prepared to accept violent means to fight against authoritarianism;
A team of university students used relatively violent means such as Molotov cocktails and flare guns, to protect their campus, fearlessly countering over 2,000 rounds of teargas from the police;
A teenage valiant protestor was trapped in the “Poly-U Siege” with his schoolmates. He tried to escape through the sewers but failed. In desperation, he left his last words in a voice message;
A grown-up frontline protestor became a father figure to a small squad of twenty young protesters. This group of strangers turned into a big family which eventually fled to Taiwan.
Democracy and freedom are now facing an unprecedented crisis all over the world. The film “Revolution of Our Times” is not only about the battle of Hongkongers but is about a war between all freedom lovers and dictatorships of our globe.
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Kiwi CHOW graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts with a Bachelor and a Master of Fine Arts. His first feature film, “A Complicated Story” (2013), was selected for the 37th Hong Kong International Film Festival and won the Award for Young Artist (Film) at Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2014. Kiwi went on to direct the ‘Self-immolator’ section of the multi-award-winning and highly controversial film ‘Ten Years’. ‘Ten Years’ won Best Film in the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards and was viciously criticised by the Chinese state media. ‘Ten Years’ became a cult classic in Hong Kong and is now available on Netflix. Kiwi Chow’s latest feature film “Beyond the Dream” received stellar box office results in Hong Kong during its release in the Summer of 2020. It also won the Best Adapted Screenplay Award (57th Taipei Golden Horse Film Awards) and received six nominations in the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards.
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Within the narrative of the big event, this documentary also weaves in short stories of the protesters. The leaderless movement, which is considered rare in the global history of resistance, emphasises the great significance of each individual. Masked demonstrators on the front line are allowed to speak their minds through the medium of a documentary. The faces of the protestors are masked up or blurred. Despite that, their brave yet delicate souls leave traces in the hearts of the audience.
In 2019, the Hong Kong people rebelled against the proposed extradition bill to amend the ‘Fugitive Offenders Ordinance’. And in 2020, the regime replaced it with the more dire ‘National Security Law’. Living under fear, the law has deterred individuals from expressing their views openly. The interviewees were masked up while the production staff had to remain anonymous, even we will have to live with the fact that this documentary cannot be screened publicly in Hong Kong due to heavy monitoring by the government.
The people of Hong Kong had to pay a strenuous price for speaking out during this tumultuous period, including some interviewees who went into exile, some lost contact and some are serving sentences in prison. And as a film director, it is my responsibility to take risks and document the resistance.
It was not the era that chose us, but we chose to change the era.
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Best Documentary — Golden Horse Awards 2021
Audience Choice Award — Golden Horse Awards 2021
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The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival 2021
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2021
TOKYO FILMeX
