Flâneur in modernity
IU CHUNG HONG'S FILMS & PHOTOGRAPHIES
A Riot That Didn't Happen
一場沒有發生過的暴動
Year: 2024
Film Length: 04:44
Aspect Ratio: 9:16
Color: Color
Director: Chung Hong IU
Synopsis:
After the anti-immigration riots occurred in the UK in early August 2024, far-right called to attack 100 places, such as immigration centres, across the country on 7th Aug. The leftist urged to stand up against racism to show solidarity with communities. I joined one of the counter-protests. I jot down what I saw with my camera and reflected from the perspective of a former activist. I recalled a counter-protest, when I was young, in 2011 in Hong Kong, against the pro-Beijing camp and right-wing opposition to the foreign domestic helpers' right of abode. As the people were conservative at the time, the protest was not supported by society. That was my first arrest and a turning point in my social activism.
I found everything was familiar when I took to the streets. During the demonstration that day, I discovered that the protesters were also very sensitive to cameras. As I knew, there were a couple of reasons: 1) They don’t trust the media and KOLs. 2) The far-right would take close-up photos and send to their groups for retaliation. 3) The cops had arrested not only far-right rioters but also counter-protesters before. Therefore, even though I took so-called "normal" shots, most of the shots used in the film were those "useless" parts which would normally be deleted.
Focus and framing kept hit-or-miss. The shots were scattered, almost random and arbitrary, and incomprehensible, just as their incomprehensible logic. The (post) truth which they were willing to believe in, those enemies they chose, were also random and arbitrary.
Hong Kong migrants showed little interest in the incident (if not even agree with the right-wing), not to say supporting the counter-protests. But when the far-right said "take back the island”, no matter that meant the British Isles or a safety island (which they could finally ultimately "occupied"), certainly, no man is an island. While Hong Kong migrants are looking to integrate into the UK, which might also include caring about civil society and participating in social movements, just like what we did in our homeland.
Film Festival:
2025
