[Epoch Times, July 17, 2021]As the Cannes Film Festival in France was about to close, on the 16th, the documentary “Revolution of the Times” filmed by Hong Kong director Zhou Guanwei was suddenly screened. Film festival director Fremo said that he is very proud to be able to launch this film, so that the film can illuminate an important moment in world news.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, the 12-day Cannes Film Festival will close on July 17. After all the participating films in mainland China were screened on the 15th, the organizer suddenly sent an e-mail to the international media announcing that it would be added on the 16th. Screen a surprise documentary. Many media did not know until they arrived at the scene that the original show was the documentary “Revolution of the Time” in Hong Kong.
The documentary “Revolution of the Times” is a secret documentary produced by Hong Kong director Zhou Guanwei for two years. In the process, some friends asked him to leave Hong Kong or remain anonymous, but he refused one by one; in addition, some editors and photographers stopped working with him.
This 152-minute film records the turbulent era in which the “anti-regulation movement” broke out in Hong Kong in June 2019 and the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law” in July 2020. Including Zhou Guanwei’s personal experience of the siege of Polytechnic University. The documentary tracked seven participants in the movement, including frontline demonstrators, and supporters of rationale.
Be with everyone in the world who fight for justice and freedom
Regarding the screening of “Revolution of the Time” in Cannes, Zhou Guanwei said that he believed that the film could not be screened in Hong Kong theaters, so he was very grateful to the film festival for allowing the film to have its world premiere in Cannes. He emphasized that Hong Kong’s losses far exceeded anyone’s expectations, and the Cannes screening comforted many Hong Kong people living in fear: “It also shows that all people in the world who fight for justice and freedom are Be with us!”
The film festival director Thierry Fremaux said that the film festival is proud to show films that record important moments in this world event.
Foreign media reported with the title of the Cannes Film Festival as a diplomatic gamble. The film festival chose the time after the screening of the three films in mainland China to avoid the CCP’s withdrawal of the film and protest. However, the CCP may boycott the next film festival. The film festival explained that the release of “Revolution of the Time” was announced towards the end because the documentary was only completed at the final submission time, but I had already watched some clips and was interested in screening.
Regarding this year’s film festival’s willingness to play this documentary at the risk of taking the CCP’s “red line”, Kenneth, a Hong Kong supporter group in France, believes that this documentary will encourage the people of Hong Kong and the world to defend democracy and freedom and resist the CCP’s hegemony.
He said: “There is great encouragement for the resistance in Hong Kong. It is also a great encouragement for the oppressed dissidents in China, the oppressed Uyghurs and other people who have resisted Chinese hegemony all over the world. I also encourage the whole of France, especially in the cultural circle, the French and other Europeans should no longer compromise, should speak for democracy and freedom, and resist the authoritarian political hegemony framework of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Editor in charge: Zhao Fenghua
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