Short film on Hong Kong protests premieres in Taipei

By Wu Shu-wei and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter, with staff writer





A short documentary on the Hong Kong protests directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kevin Lee (李惠仁) premiered in Taipei yesterday.

In the process of shooting the film — which translates directly to Freedom, Fly (自由,飛) — he learned that there were young protesters injured in Hong Kong who were afraid to seek medical treatment there, Lee said at the premiere, hosted by the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation.

In his interviews with young protesters, he found that many were prepared to give their lives for the movement, he said.

Taiwanese filmmaker Kevin Lee speaks at the premiere for documentary "Freedom Fly" in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times

Lee said while he was shooting the film, many of the young protesters in Hong Kong said to him: “Please, Taiwan must safeguard democracy and freedom.”

Those words gave him the motivation to finish shooting the film, he said.

“In the face of China’s suppression, threats and enticements, if Taiwan does not have a mechanism for defending democracy, Taiwan’s democracy will retrogress,” he said.

One of the messages of the film is that “democracy and freedom do not fall from the sky,” he added.

Throughout the film, audiences can see Hong Kong’s present situation, as well as how Taiwan evolved from an authoritarian system to freedom and democracy, foundation executive director Lin Yi-cheng (林宜正) said.

Taiwan and Hong Kong are “connected by a thread,” he said, adding that the two “have a common determination to pursue freedom.”

Justine, who was only identified by her first name, said she feels “as though five years have passed” since the protests began roughly five months ago.

After observing the crowds at a September rally in Taiwan in support of the Hong Kong protesters and at the “Freedom is Not Free” concert at Liberty Square in Taipei on Sunday, Justine said: “As a Hong Konger, I want to thank Taiwanese.”

Justine was at the premiere on behalf of the Taiwan-based group Hong Kong Outlanders.

The film, which runs for 20 minutes, is to be released on YouTube on Dec. 13.