Filmmaker Kiwi Chow (周冠威) on Saturday won Best Documentary Feature at the Golden Horse Awards for Revolution of Our Times (時代革命), which documents mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019 and is intended to offer solace to Hong Kongers everywhere.
Addressing the event in a prerecorded video message, Chow said that the film, which follows protesters marching against a controversial extradition bill, belongs to each Hong Konger who “has a conscience, a sense of justice and has shed tears for Hong Kong.”
One of the people interviewed for the film is a 16-year-old student Chow accompanied during a police siege at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the filmmaker said.
Photo: CNA
As the student’s involvement in the siege was widely known, returning to class was a terrifying experience for him, Chow said.
The student feared reprisals, but everyone in the classroom, including his teacher, gave him a hug, Chow said.
“I hope Revolution of Our Times can be like this hug. I cried a lot throughout the making of the film. Many times, I relied on it for comfort, and to release my anger and hatred,” Chow said, adding that making the film also helped him cope with fear and trauma.
“For those who are still in Hong Kong, including me, the many people who are in exile overseas and our compatriots in prison, even if you don’t have a chance to see the film, I hope and I pray to God, that the mere existence of this film can provide a sense of solace and be a hug. Thank you,” he said.
The documentary, which runs two hours and 32 minutes, was released in July and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. It traces the protests against a proposed extradition bill that many Hong Kongers felt would allow China to encroach on Hong Kong’s judicial independence.
The film highlights the at times deeply personal perspectives and stories of multiple protesters, and offers a broader picture of the movement and an understanding of its historical context.
The 42-year-old Chow last year won a Golden Horse award in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for the film Beyond the Dream.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
RSS