Hong Kong protests: Oscar-winning director Malcolm Clarke releases documentary series offering different take on 2019 unrest, says he is not ‘working for the Chinese government’
- Hong Kong Returns comprises 10 short films aimed at showing audiences how unrest could have been an organised effort influenced by foreign forces
- Clarke says his goal is to advocate a gentler and more measured approach the West could take with China
In an interview with the Post, two-time Oscar winner Malcolm Clarke, countering criticism he was “working for the Chinese government”, said the project Hong Kong Returns was aimed at showing younger audiences how the chaos that year could have been a well-organised effort that was influenced by foreign forces.
“I know I am going to upset people with this series. I know some people are going to say that ‘Oh he is in the pocket of China’ … that is total nonsense,” Clarke said.
“I have never and will never work for anyone other than myself, so these are my opinions. I am not yellow and I am not blue,” he added, referring to the colours of rival camps in Hong Kong in 2019.
Clarke added that all he wanted to do with his work was to advocate a gentler and more measured approach that Western countries such as the United States could take towards China, as it would be universally beneficial.
“China and America, if they can put down their rivalries and their enmities, there is no more powerful force on the planet than these two superpowers if they decide that they want something done,” he said.
“If they decide, for example, that they want global warming to stop … if the two biggest superpowers on the planet decided that it’s going to happen, it will happen.”