Norwegian director Anders Hammer has said that the Chinese government’s response has boosted the film’s popularity.
Norwegian director Anders Hammer’s “Do Not Split,” a documentary about Hong Kong’s “anti-China” movement, was recently nominated for an Oscar, sparking discontent from Beijing authorities, who ordered a ban on domestic media coverage of the ceremony. Hammer said recently that the Chinese government’s response has boosted the film’s popularity.
The 35-minute documentary is based on the “anti-China” movement that erupted in Hong Kong in 2019, documenting the movement’s development over the course of a year, including important events such as the defense of CUHK, the defense of PolyU, and the November march. The film’s official synopsis says “No Cut” portrays the determination and sacrifice of the protesters, the strong response of the government, and the passage of Hong Kong’s national security law by the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Last month, the film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film, sparking an outcry from the Chinese Communist government. Bloomberg later reported that Beijing authorities have told domestic media not to broadcast live the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on the 25th of this month, and to keep coverage of the award-winning film at the ceremony low.
The Guardian recently quoted Hammer, the Norwegian director of “No Cut,” as saying that it was ironic that Beijing was actually helping to promote the short documentary, which usually does not feature in coverage of the Oscars.
The film features Shao Lan, a former member of the Hong Kong Delegation for International Affairs of the Tertiary Education Sector, a social movement formed during the “anti-China” movement, who spoke and lobbied on behalf of the group in several Western countries.
The report quotes Shao as saying that she has been frequently harassed since she announced her identity in 2019, and that her family members and other personal information have been circulated online. No Cut ends with the last video Shao Lan shot in Hong Kong, where she realized she was then already being followed and her friends were being arrested one by one, so she decided to leave for the United States.
The film’s title, “No Cut,” is based on a slogan from the “anti-China” movement, which calls for protesters to remain united in the face of government pressure. Interestingly, the Chinese Communist Party media reported the film as “Don’t Split” in its Oscar nomination list, which was said to imply a “don’t split the country” stance.
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