Goodnight Hongkong

“This stopped being a protest or civil unrest long ago, this is a full-blown revolution” – Anonymous demonstrator.

“In front of the Hong Kong people is the biggest dictatorship in the world. This is only stage one or the trailer of the movie.” – Simon Lau, political analyst

Goodnight Hong Kong is a TV documentary about the people behind the pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong.

Hongkong is a modern city and has been a part of the People’s Republic of China since 1997, but as a semi-autonomous region it has its own constitution and political system (under the famous ‘one land, two systems’ principle). The city has benefitted from being communist China’s gateway to the western market, and Hong Kong has grown into a stable financial hub where the commerce and banking of the world come together.

This apparent oasis of quiet was disturbed once before in 2014 by student protests, but everything came to a head in the summer of 2019. Mass protests erupted because of a controversial legislation (on extradition of delinquents to China), but were forcefully crushed by the authorities and police. The western press continually reports the events, in turn China vehemently criticises all western meddling in the conflict.

We travelled to the metropolis as reporters to find out why the situation doesn’t seem to end. We met with radicalized youth who think violence is the only way to protect their future, but also with more moderate voices that support the democratic protests in other ways. It quickly becomes clear that China won’t back down and that the future of democratic rights in Hong Kong is under high pressure.

The documentary aired on the Flemish television channel Canvas on February 8 and 9, 2020. It was selected for the longlist of De Ensors 2020.

Director: Stig Junes
DOP: Lorenz Florizoone
Editing: Stig Junes & Lorenz Florizoone
Fixer/interpreter: Tiger Zhang
Special thanks to: Enoch Manto Lieu, Tiger Zhang, Hong Kong Rev, Hong Kong Be Water, Jeroen Vissenaekens