Do Not Split

Do Not Split (Chinese: 不割席; pinyin: Bù gē xí) is a 2020 documentary short film directed by Anders Hammer about the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards. The film was funded and produced by Field of Vision and supported by Fritt Ord and Viken Filmsenter.[1]

Do Not Split
Film poster
Directed byAnders Hammer
Produced byAnders Hammer
Charlotte Cook
Distributed byField of Vision
Release date
  • 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) (Sundance)
Running time
35 minutes
CountriesNorway
United States
LanguagesCantonese
English
Mandarin

Synopsis

The film is about 35 minutes long and records many landmark events of the anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong, including the siege of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and protests at the City University of Hong Kong.[2][3] It also includes interviews with demonstrators and scholars at the scene, and the film also records the suppression of the protests and movement in 2020 and the passage of the Hong Kong national security law.[3][4] The director Anders Hammer believed that the anti-ELAB movement was one of the most important political events in the world in 2019, and that Hong Kong is facing challenges to democratic values. By presenting the events from a street-level perspective, Hammer hopes that the film will be as close to the events as possible.[5]

Release

A 20-minute preliminary version was shown at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in January 2020. Then, a 35-minute cut was premiered at DOC NYC in the fall of 2020.[6]

The film was screened at a number of film festivals internationally, including the New Orleans Film Festival in the US and the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival in Denmark.[7] It was released by Field of Vision on 25 January 2021.[8]

Do Not Split was uploaded on YouTube and Vimeo on 25 January 2021, and is available to watch for free.[9][10][11]

Awards and nominations

Do Not Split was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards.[12][13][14] The film is the third Field of Vision short film to receive an Oscar nomination in three years.[12][15][16] Following the nomination, the Chinese government told local media not to live transmit the Oscars and to downplay the significance of the awards ceremony, according to reports.[17][18] TVB, the largest free-to-air broadcaster in Hong Kong, announced that it would not broadcast the Oscars for the first time in 50 years.[19]

Anders Hammer won the Video Journalist of the Year and the long documentary award for the film at the 2020 Photo of the Year Awards in Norway.[20][21] The film won the Special Jury Prize at the AFI Docs 2020.[22]

See also

List of TV and films with critiques of Chinese Communist Party

References
  1. "Norwegian documentary "Do Not Split" nominated for an Oscar". Norway Today. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  2. "反送中紀錄片《不割席》入圍奧斯卡紀錄短片十強". 自由亚洲电台. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. Kirby, Jen (20 April 2021). "A pro-democracy activist on Hong Kong's year of turmoil: 'The city itself is dying'". Vox. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. "Film Review: "Do Not Split" — A Compelling, Disturbing, and Imperfect Look at the Hong Kong Riots". The Arts Fuse. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. "反送中紀錄片《Do Not Split 不割席》 入選奧斯卡最佳紀錄短片十強名單". 立場新聞. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. Mullen, Pat (28 February 2021). "Anders Hammer Takes Audiences to the Frontlines of Democracy in Do Not Split". Point of View Magazine.
  7. "Hong Kong protest film 'Do Not Split' in running to win Oscar for best short documentary". Coconuts Hong Kong. 11 February 2021.
  8. "Do Not Split". Field of Vision. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  9. "Field of Vision - Do Not Split", YouTube, retrieved 4 May 2021
  10. "Field of Vision - Do Not Split", Vimeo, retrieved 9 November 2021
  11. Mayberry, Kate. "Film on 2019 Hong Kong protests vies for Oscars, riles China". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  12. "The full list of 2021 Oscars nominations". The Guardian. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. "Colette" Wins Best Documentary Short Subject | 93rd Oscars
  14. 2021|Oscars.org
  15. Kim, Violet (4 February 2020). "In the Absence Already Made History for Korea. Its Makers Hope Americans Learn From It, Too". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  16. Sharf, Zack (8 February 2019). "Oscar Nominee 'A Night at the Garden' to Disrupt Fox News in Los Angeles Market With Local Ad Featuring Historic Nazi Rally Footage". IndieWire. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  17. Frater, Patrick (17 March 2021). "China Tells Media to Stagger Oscars Telecast, Downplay Event (Report)". Variety. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  18. "反送中紀錄片「不割席」入圍奧斯卡 傳中共下令取消直播頒獎". Central News Agency (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  19. Dry, Jude (2 April 2021). "As China Bans Oscars Broadcast, 'Do Not Split' Proves the Power of Short Film — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  20. "Årets bilde 2020 - se alle vinnerne". Journalisten (in Norwegian). 12 March 2021.
  21. "Do Not Split Wins Norwegian Award". BC Magazine. 15 March 2021.
  22. "AFI DOCS Announces 2020 Award Winners". AFI. 22 June 2020.
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