On 1July1997 British rule ended in Hong Kong and its fate was handed over to the People’s Republic of China which promised democracy would live on but who believed that? And authoritarian rule gradually seeped into Hong Kong. Youth led protests to the anti-democratic manoeuvres by PRC to eliminate democracy really crystallized with promulgation of the National Security Law in 2020 a real Kristallnacht for Hong Kong. A backlash led by the youth of Hong Kong battled Carrie Lam the puppet master of Hong Kong. Smashed about and doused with tear gas the youth fought on and “Hong Kong Mixtape” delves into the resistance mounted by the artistic community through dance, animation, painting, plays, photography, art and music.
Using her own voice to guide us through this time, filmmaker San San F Young pieces together works by underground artists, musicians, dancers, illustrators and performance artists, showcasing how art can provide some of the most powerful forms of activism. This mixtape serves as a love letter that ignites passion, celebrates artistic expression, and shows that in the face of being silenced, people always find ways of speaking out louder than ever.
A remarkable effort and use of tone that commences with the vibrancy of the protest and gradually is subsumed by gloom and resignation at least in Hong Kong but not in those cities where young exiles fled fearing prison sentences and deportation to PRC. Lady Liberty will live on!
Part of the Human Rights Film Festival in Toronto and will be screening on 9December2023.
RKS Film Rating 86/100.
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