Right thing to do inside the red brick wall|Glacier Kwong
The Hong Kong Film Critics Society (HKFCS) Awards - Award Winning Film Tour at Golden Scene Cinema, which started less than a month ago, has suddenly called off the screening of one of the award-winning films, “Inside the Red Brick Wall”. Golden Scene Cinema announced on Facebook that there had been “excessive interest” in the screening of the film. To avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, the cinema decided to cancel two screenings.
On the occasion of the release of “Inside the Red Brick Wall” in commercial cinemas, Wen Wei Po published an editorial criticizing the film for “glorifying violence” and “inciting confrontation with the police and the SAR Government, and spreading anti-national sentiment”. The film is said to be “clearly suspected of violating the Film Censorship Ordinance and Hong Kong’s national security laws”, and the Film Censorship Office is urged to “ban the film in accordance with the law to avoid confusing right and wrong and poisoning the society”. Four days after the Wen Wei Po editorial was published, the screening was cancelled.
The act of pressuring the cinemas to cancel screenings is clearly a sign of the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedom. But I would like to talk about the movie “Inside the Red Brick Wall” rather than the political implications of it being banned in commercial cinemas.
I only watched it recently for a screening event in the Netherlands. I had tried hard not to watch it before, as I knew I would end up crying for the whole day after watching and would not be productive. Told by friends of mine who had watched it that a sleepless night would be guaranteed if I were to watch it in the evening, I chose to watch it in an afternoon.
The arrogance of the police in “Inside the Red Brick Wall” was ridiculous, as they played songs to the protesters to ridicule them for not having enough food to eat and time to sleep. The documentary devotes a lot of space to the story of the 20 secondary school principals entering the PolyU campus to pick up the underaged. The adults could only guarantee that the young protesters would return home safely that night, which implied they would still be prosecuted in the future. The young protesters were facing different choices, many of which were uncertain. The adult protesters did not trust the principals and were worried that if the minors left with them they would be charged with rioting. There were arguments, tears, rebukes and reluctance.
And my friends are indeed right, revisiting those particular moments of the movement is disturbing. However, the uneasiness of watching it is valuable and necessary. The movie highlights the uncertainties and struggles encountered by the frontline protesters under siege, about which we had a great deal of feeling back then even though we were not present on the frontline. Just 18 months ago, we faced tear gas and batons when having dinner in a shopping mall; we checked our phones constantly to make sure people we know were safe and not arrested. For those who were on the frontline, they had to decide where to go and what to do next just as those in Poly U had to.
I am thoroughly convinced by the director’s explanation for why the film is not available on streaming platforms. The director wants the documentary to be one for everyone to watch together in a quiet theatre so that they can pay close attention to all the details. I can’t remember how many times I hit pause when I watched it at home, despite knowing I shouldn’t. It’s just like I wished there had been a pause button for our real lives in Hong Kong.
Feeling mentally weary after watching “Inside the Red Brick Wall”, I asked myself repeatedly why we had to go through all these, why Hongkongers chose knowingly to fight the uphill battles, and how come the protesters and those standing in the defendant’s dock in court were so brave. I think it is because we believe plainly and simply it’s the right thing to do.
(Glacier Kwong, born and raised in Hong Kong, became a digital rights and political activist at the age of 15. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Law and working on the course for Hong Kong in Germany. Her work has been published on Washington Post, TIME, etc.)
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