Hong Kong: City on Fire(不作浮塵)

Taking us from Hong Kong’s 1997 handover from British rule into Chinese administrative control, and all the way to 2019 when a controversial extradition bill is greeted with massive street protests, this urgent film beds in with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations, offering a frontline portrait of four young protesters through a year of struggle. We see their hopes for a freer life and feel their fears as the authorities crack down. Pulse-racing scenes bring the viewer to street level, where peaceful protest is met with fury and tear gas. Clear-eyed about the complications and contradictions that come with a movement that changed Hong Kong forever, Hong Kong: City on Fire is a brave document of troubled times.