Anders Hammer moved to Hong Kong in 2019 to capture a fight between David and Goliath on camera, and to record pro-democracy protesters in the city taking on autocrats in Beijing.
A little over a year later, he became an unintended protagonist in that fight, when his low-budget documentary Do Not Split won an Oscar nomination.
Chinese authorities, apparently furious or worried about the platform the star-studded evening could provide for the film, and through lengthy distant comments from top director-nominated Chloé Zhao, reportedly told local media not to broadcast the ceremony live, and play all coverage. of the awards.
Hammer is amazed at how long China is going to stop to see its citizens even take a brief look at its latest film. In the rest of the world, this move earned him the kind of press coverage he could never dream of.
‘We are part of a category, short documentaries, which usually do not get the most attention [in Oscar coverage]”It is ironic that Beijing is promoting our documentary at this stage.”
His exploration of the half-hour protest was beautifully filmed in a flowing, intimate style that takes the viewer into the intense heart of street demonstrations.
Millions marched through the streets of Hong Kong in peace in the summer of 2019, initially fueled by anger over a law that would allow the city to extradite people for trial in the continent’s opaque and legal system.
As the protests expanded to broader demands for democracy, the police response became increasingly cruel. By the end of the year, students were besieged on their university campus and replenished the Molotov cocktails to tackle the police who were now liberal with the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and even live ammunition.
Coronavirus abruptly ended the public protests and shortly thereafter, Beijing passed a security law for Hong Kong that effectively ended the city’s limited autonomy and was used to crush the democracy movement.
Key figures are mostly in jail, in exile or awaiting trial. Even protest slogans and songs were banned under the new legislation. The Norwegian director believes Beijing’s fear of a short documentary, even after this widespread repression, is a tribute to the protest movement’s enduring power.
‘It was the biggest uprising against Beijing and the political leadership [there] in a very long time, ‘Hammer said. ‘I think the [Chinese leadership] is very afraid that it might spread somehow and that you will see similar actions on the mainland of China … the fear that someone will be inspired to try to do the same. ”
The star of the film, if this is the right word for a documentary about a grassroots protest movement that deliberately eludes leading figures, is Joey Siu. She speaks eloquently about how she became a casual student activist, and set aside plans to teach as the struggle for her city’s future became more urgent.
Most young protesters on the front lines chose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. Siu decided to go public at a great personal cost and keep talking.
‘Since 2019, when I first became public [with my identity]”I received a lot of harassment … and my personal information, or even information about my family members, was posted and distributed online,” she said.
The video that ends the film is the last one Siu recorded in Hong Kong. She realizes that she is being followed, and watches as friends are arrested – some have tried to flee – and soon after decides to leave for the USA.
Yet she somehow, like others in the movement, clings to the hope that, although they may have lost the battle for Hong Kong, they still have a chance in the long-term war for democracy.
“We understand that the situation in Hong Kong is not going to get any better. We are pretty sure that the Chinese Communist Party does not intend to restore any kind of freedom or rights we have enjoyed in the past,” Siu said.
“But we are very determined to explore other possibilities to sustain the struggle.” The new focus includes lobbying for political support, organizing protest marches where it is still possible – outside China’s borders – and building solidarity.
The name of the documentary is derived from a protest slogan emphasizing the need for unity in light of pressure from Beijing. This commitment continues, and she is grateful that a film she participated in to document their struggle also helps support it.
“All of us understand that this is going to be a very long and very difficult battle, so we are trying our best to maintain the momentum we have built up in 2019,” she said.
“The Oscar nomination has garnered a lot of attention from people around the world, who may not have paid attention to what was going on in Hong Kong.”