Awards and festivals

Film description

Five film novellas showing the life in Hong Kong in 2025, a speculative, dystopian vision of the future metropolis under the thumb of Chinese authorities. The young directors look at different aspects of reality – they don't create fictional stories, but follow the consequences of present government actions. They ask about the restrictions, introduced for security reasons, about the threat to the culture of Hong Kong, and the influence of educational reform on future generations. The simple, yet striking stories show contemporary fears of the society clearer than any sociological analysis.

Made as an entirely independent production, the film was initially shown in a limited distribution, but its popularity in the social media turned it into an instant box office success and a cultural phenomenon. The tremendous interest in the film alarmed the Chinese authorities – they called the film a "virus of the mind." After it was nominated to Hong Kong Film Awards, China refused to broadcast the awards gala. The film was also forbidden from being screened in Hong Kong cinemas, which provoked thousands of young people to take part in the screenings organized in public places by local activists.

Jagoda Murczyńska