Thousands of moviegoers on Friday flocked to mass screenings of Hong Kong film “Ten Years“, a provocative futuristic portrayal of the city that has riled China.
Released at the end of last year, it has been a box office hit locally – despite only getting a short run in cinemas – and has raised hackles on the mainland amid increasing fears in Hong Kong over Beijing’s tightening grip.
The series of five short films, each by a different Hong Kong director, depicts the city in 2025 where young children in military uniform prowl the streets, the local language of Cantonese is disappearing and one protester goes as far as self-immolation.
The filmmakers say they feel it was only given short sporadic runs at cinemas across Hong Kong after its release in December due to political reasons, as it was commercially a runaway hit, selling out at the cinemas where it was shown.
Many residents were left disappointed after missing out on the movie due to its limited run – and the filmmakers sought to remedy that with Friday’s screenings.
People flocked to simultaneous screenings at 34 locations across Hong Kong Friday evening from cafes and churches to public spaces including the city’s government headquarters.
Hundreds of people sat on the ground and on plastic chairs to watch the film at the Central Government Complex in Admiralty, which was at the centre of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests. Some cried at the film’s end.
Tina Wu, who couldn’t get tickets to watch “Ten Years” before cinemas stopped running it, was happy to finally see it.
“The government doesn’t want us to have the chance to watch the movie, and now we get the chance so we are quite excited,” Wu, 56, said.
Another woman applauded the filmmakers for taking on tough topics.
“I think we should come out to support the people who made the movie because they were willing to tackle something that’s politically sensitive, that’s very rare,” Queenie, in her 40s, told AFP, without providing her last name.
“The movie is able to bring to life something that we imagined but were not able to fully express,” she added.
Concerns for the future
Friday’s screenings came ahead of the Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday, where “Ten Years” won the “Best Film” award.
Broadcasts of the awards ceremony on the mainland were pulled, with the movie’s nomination widely believed to be the reason.
China’s state-run Global Times newspaper has hit out at the film as “totally absurd” and a “virus of the mind”.
“We never imagined it to be such a huge success or (have such a response) from the local audience,” Andrew Choi, one of the film’s producers told AFP.
“People are concerned about the future of Hong Kong and I think they treasure the opportunity to watch this film in their local community,” Choi said.
Words: AFP
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