Hong Kong Returns
Hong Kong 2019; a city brought to its knees by social strife and political turmoil. Widespread street violence became commonplace in one of the most iconic and economically vibrant cities on earth, attracting the attention of the world’s press and becoming the most thoroughly reported and photographed news event of the year.
As Hong Kong went to war with itself almost no one in the city escaped the conflict, nor the consequences of choosing a side, whether yellow or blue. And regardless of the choice that was made – its consequences were swift to intrude into the lives and relationships of almost everyone in the city; tearing families apart, testing & questioning long-standing friendships and creating intense personal distress for many Hong Kongers who felt victimized by the fast-moving revolution in their streets.
Hong Kong Returns is a 10-part series of short films recounting the events of those turbulent months, exploring the history behind the conflict, and questioning many of the assumptions made by the international press corps during Hong Kong’s year of living dangerously.
Hong Kong Returns is a personal essay made from a unique point of view; seen through the eyes of the two-time Academy Award-winning British filmmaker Malcolm Clarke – who was shooting a film in Hong Kong during those chaotic months of upheaval.
In these 10 short documentaries, Clarke brings a unique, contrarian perspective to the events of 2019, which were almost entirely characterized in the West as a life or death, David versus Goliath struggle for the very ‘soul of the city’ – pitting Hong Kong’s idealistic, democratic youth against all the evils of a ‘totalitarian Chinese super state’.
Using unique, never-before-seen footage shot over months from multiple points of view, Hong Kong Returns avoids simplistic value judgments and pointedly questions some of the most popular assumptions and narratives that were widely reported by the western media. Clarke supplies historical context and perspective for what transpired in 2019 and helps clarify many of the motives and tactics of the major factions involved in the turmoil. And the conclusions... are more nuanced and far more sinister than anything that was widely reported at the time.
Investigating the roots of the 2019 violence Clarke examines how many of Hong Kong’s present challenges are rooted in the city’s colonial past – with episodes dedicated to exploring such subjects as...
1. The introduction of an ‘Extradition Bill’ - was the spark that ignited a revolution.
2. The decades-long emergence of a unique Hong Kong identity, separate and apart from China.
3. The decades-long growth of Hong Kongers’ sense of superiority over the Mainland Chinese.
4. The impact of China’s extraordinary renaissance on Hong Kong and the World.
5. The fallout from the 1997 handover by the British, of their prized colonial possession.
6. The implementation of Deng Xiaoping’s “One Country, Two Systems” model of governance – specifically established as a gradual 50-year reunification project to facilitate Hong Kong’s full return to the Chinese motherland.
7. The truth behind the ‘Yellow Side’s’ self-described ‘leaderless movement’.
8. The shadow world of foreign interference and political manipulation in Hong Kong.
9. The emergence of a radical, violent minority of anti-government protesters.
10. The powerful role of fake news and its impact in shaping narratives and demonizing Hong Kong’s once much-admired police force.
11. The introduction of the National Security Law and its consequence for Hong Kong.
12. Hong Kong’s future status as a fully Chinese city.
Hong Kong Returns – a unique, very different and truthful account of what actually happened on the streets of Hong Kong during those turbulent months of 2019 – when the 21st Century version of ‘The Great Game’ was still being played – with Hong Kong as the political football.