Hong Kong protests: South China Morning Post video team triumphs in 2020 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize

The South China Morning Post video team has scooped the top honour at this year’s prestigious 2020 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize organised by the European Commission.

Amid the tumult of last year’s anti-government protests, Dayu Zhang, a video producer for the Post, created a short film titled “The ‘thin yellow line’ standing between Hong Kong police and protesters”, which looks at the unrest from the perspective of a community group seeking to defuse tensions between demonstrators and police.

As well as winning the Grand Prize this time, Zhang’s piece published in October also came second in the short category of the World Press Photo’s 2020 Digital Storytelling Contest earlier this year.

Zhang said the piece was one of the most significant stories he had covered during the protests, which were sparked last June by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.

“I hope this video can help people around the world better understand the movement in the city. Winning the prize is a great encouragement for me and I will keep working hard to tell stories that give a voice to the voiceless,” Zhang said.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague Zoe Low in the city desk for helping me with the interview. And my amazing colleagues in the video team for helping me make this film. I couldn’t have done it without them. This is definitely a win for the team.”

Editor-in-chief Tammy Tam said: “The South China Morning Post, in particular our video team, is proud to be recognised by this prestigious award. It is of great encouragement to the quality journalism that SCMP is committed to delivering.

“This film showcases our fact-based approach to presenting the unprecedented social and political upheaval unfolding in our city.

“The Post team will continue to provide our worldwide audience with in-depth coverage on a wide range of major events in the region.”