Battle for Hong Kong
Nominated: BAFTA TV Awards, Current Affairs, 2021
Nominated: Peabody Awards, News, 2021
Rory Peck Awards Finalist: Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs, 2020
Fai Wan and Robin Barnwell
British Journalism Awards: Foreign Affairs - Shortlist, 2020
“Brutally eloquent” Wall Street Journal
“Putting faces to this sprawling news story and making intimate the many issues it raises is where this particular film triumphs… a remarkably effective and emotive depiction of the hopes and fears of real people, right now.” The Guardian
★★★★★ Financial Times
Filmed over eight months on the violent frontline of Hong Kong’s street protests, this is the compelling and emotional story of how the lives of five young activists were changed for ever.
Raw, personal, and revealing, the unfolding tale of how these protesters moved from peaceful demonstrations to Molotov cocktails and bows and arrows gives an unprecedented insight into what has really been going on behind the headlines that have gripped the world.
Exclusive footage shows police out of control as the violence spirals. Activists take bloody revenge on anyone who they suspect of informing. “I feel like I am basically at war” says one, “if I die ..and Hong Kong gets democracy…I’ll be ok with that.”
Watch the Battle for Hong Kong trailer
As President Xi’s regime faces its biggest challenge since Tiananmen Square, China’s last bastion of free speech and democracy is fighting for its life.
Directed, filmed and produced by Robin Barnwell
Producer: Gesbeen Mohammad
Guy Creasey: Film Editor
Simon Russell: Composer
Local Producers and Camera: Fai Wan, Ieong Kin Pong, Crystal Wong
Executive Producers: David Henshaw and Evan Williams
Broadcast on PBS Frontline and Channel 4 (Hardcash Productions and Evan Williams Productions)
