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Five Years after the First Umbrellas: Film Screening of Umbrella Diaries
“The ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage…”
- Hong Kong Basic Law Article 45
- What: Umbrella Diaries: The First Umbrella (119 mins, Cantonese with English Subtitles) followed by Q&A with James Leong, director, and Vincent Wong, Adjunct Professor and Research Associate, International Human Rights Program
- Where: Moot Court Room, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
- When: September 26, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Event co-sponsored by the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the UofT HK Extradition Law Awareness Group.
Registration (free)
Event Description
On August 31, 2014, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress issued an interpretation of the Hong Kong Basic Law. It confirmed that the universal suffrage promised to the territory to select its Chief Executive would be limited to choosing between two or three candidates already vetted by Beijing. The pro-democratic opposition was outraged.
This sparked an unprecedented 79-day protest occupation of the streets of Central Hong Kong beginning September 26. The term “umbrella movement” was coined from the protestors’ use of umbrellas to block the police’s pepper spray and tear gas. The occupation was largely felt to be a failure, having garnered no government concessions by the time of the court-ordered clearing of the streets on December 11. Many protest leaders have since been charged with public order offenses; some are still in prison today. However, the citizens’ anger and fear have not dissipated in five years since.
To mark the fifth anniversary of these events, which form a critical background to the current violent unrest around the proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong, the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto will be hosting a screening of Umbrella Diaries: the First Umbrella. The film chronicles the lead-up and first few days of the occupation. Following the screening, we will be hosting a Q&A with director James Leong, videoconferencing from Hong Kong, and Vincent Wong, Adjunct Professor and William C. Graham Research Associate at the International Human Rights Program.
Donations for the production of a sequel would be appreciated by the filmmakers.
Synopsis
"Umbrella Diaries: The First Umbrella" charts the origins of Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement through the eyes of the activists and ordinary people who made it happen. From the June 4th Candlelit Vigil until September 28th, when tens of thousands of protestors occupied the streets outside Government Headquarters, this documentary puts us at the heart of the action, allowing viewers to experience the highs and lows of that remarkable summer, when Hong Kong witnessed a “blossoming of democracy”.
James Leong's documentaries have screened at festivals such as Hotdocs, IDFA and Yamagata. Passabe (2004), about truth and reconciliation in East Timor, received a grant from the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund. Homeless FC (2006) won the top prize at the Chinese Documentary Festival in Hong Kong. Wukan (2015) was awarded Best Feature at the Freedom Film Festival and the Chinese Documentary Festival, and received a special mention at the Dubai International Film Festival. Umbrella Diaries: The First Umbrella has been nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the 55th Golden Horse Awards.
