Punched by police and shunned by cinemas, Occupy documentary maker still a believer
One punch shattered Chan Tze-woon’s illusions about the power of the camera and the probity of police, but he won’t stop making films and is hopeful a Hong Kong cinema chain will show his protest movie
When he decided to take part in the 2014 “umbrella movement” in Hong Kong as a documentary filmmaker, Chan Tze-woon accepted that he might spend months wandering chaotic streets, clash with parents over political ideals, or risk arrest for civil disobedience. The last thing he expected was that he would be punched in the face by a policeman while sitting in a Mong Kok street, his video camera rolling in his lap.
“When we learn to be documentary film directors, we’re taught that people tend to restrain themselves in front of cameras,” says Chan. “So I felt a responsibility at the scene, where the police were arresting people with excessive force. But once I was punched, I was at once disillusioned about the power of the camera and totally disappointed with the police, who are supposed to uphold the law.”
He remained in the same spot while the policeman, realising he was being filmed, walked slowly away. After the incident, Chan seldom went near the front line of the Occupy Central protests again. “When you’re beaten by a cop, you can neither go after him nor, well, go to the police. There’s nothing you can do. I was quite timid – to sit there and watch the person who had just punched me go away,” he says.
Including the clip in his feature-length documentary about the protests, Yellowing, afforded Chan some relief. In spite of his experience, he remains a believer in peaceful, rational and non-violent protest. His film, shorn of politicians’ sound bites, reflects that sensibility, with its attempt to give voice to ordinary people.
Yellowing follows several protesters he coincidentally met on September 27, 2014, shortly after student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung led a crowd to storm Civic Square in front of the Hong Kong central government complex. By doing so, the film depicts the movement as a lived, communal experience far more civilised than news headlines might have suggested.
“I wouldn’t pretend to be just a silent observer,” says Chan, who turns 29 next month. “I’m presenting this film as a participant in the movement. And the main protagonists of the documentary have now really become my friends; we went through the experience together.”