The 93rd Academy Awards going down on April 25th, 9PM PST peeps and in the mix for the golden statues is a Hong Kong documentary, nominated in the Documentary Shorts category!
The film, 'Do Not Split' by Anders Hammer, is a 36 minute film of real footage and interviews from the front lines of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong from 2019 and on. Shot with an unflinching eye, it brings home the story of what was a tense, and often terrifying ordeal fought by the youth-led movement. Grossly over-matched by their police counterparts it truly reveals the almost insurmountable force they faced during the active protest period.
All photos are still from the film, 'Do Not Split'. See the film below the images.
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It is an intense look at the struggle, ongoing to this day, and the ever evolving oppression the movement is faced with. While the film does miss some important events such as the storming of the legislature, the Yuen Long attacks, and the Prince Edward MTR incident, it does well to capture the live events many have lived through, with grass roots sentiments, in it's short length.
Anders Hammer, the director, is no stranger to conflict zones either having covered Iraq, Syria, and lived Afghanistan for 6 years. He brings a cinematic flare to the camera work, and puts the viewer into the mist of the frantic action.
Reaction to the film's nomination has been met with a ban on the live broadcast of the Academy Awards by China, and blackout media coverage from most of the mainstream media in Hong Kong. "It was purely a commercial decision that we decided not to pursue the Oscars this year," a TVB spokesperson told the press. It must also be noted Oscar front-runner for Best Film, 'Nomadland' directed by Chinese director, Chloe Zhao, has also faced censorship due to her criticisms of China in the past.
We reached out to Anders Hammer for an interview but did not receive a response before publication.
Watch 'Do Not Split' here :
Field of Vision - Do Not Split from Field of Vision on Vimeo.
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