If We Burn
Hyut joi siu
Brian never thought he would become a political dissident living in exile. Jenny didn’t think she would develop a fear of trains. Peter was just a student wondering how best to spend his summer vacation. Eddie was sure his belief in non-violence would never waver. And yet, by the end of summer 2019, everything had changed for all of them.
Hundreds of thousands − perhaps even millions − of protestors have taken to the streets of Hong Kong since early June. Sparked initially by the government’s plans for a controversial extradition bill, the movement has now transformed into a broader push for greater freedoms and democracy, with anger over police brutality fuelling a cycle of violence. The protests are Hong Kong’s biggest challenge to Beijing since its return to China in 1997. If We Burn looks at the movement through the eyes of Hong Kongers whose fates, like their city’s future, now hang in the balance.
Film details
- Country of production
- Hong Kong
- Year
- 2020
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2020
- Length
- 90"
- Medium/Format
- Digital
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