Lost in the Fumes

Lost in the Fumes (Chinese: 地厚天高) is a 2017 Hong Kong biographical documentary film based on the life of politician and activist Edward Leung. The film was directed by Nora Lam and was first screened on 23 November 2017.

Lost in the Fumes
地厚天高
Directed byNora Lam
Produced byVincent Chui
StarringEdward Leung
Distributed byYing e Chi
Release date
  • 23 November 2017 (2017-11-23) (Hong Kong)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
BudgetHK$100,000[2]
(approx. US$12,800)[3]

Synopsis

The film tracks Leung's life from his university education to his participation in various elections and protests.[4] This includes his participation in the 2016 New Territories East by-election, where he won more than 60,000 votes; the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election, where he was disqualified, despite signing the confirmation form; and the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, where he was arrested with three charges of rioting.[5]

Development

In an interview with Stand News, director Nora Lam said she was inspired to make films after watching KJ Music and Life, a 2009 Hong Kong biopic. Lam noted that while she and Leung were both students at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Arts, she has never attempted to contact Leung, and her perception of Leung mainly came from depictions of him in mainstream media. Lost in the Fumes was the third documentary Lam made.[6]

Release

The film was distributed by Ying e Chi, a company founded by independent filmmaker Vincent Chui in 1997 which has distributed several films relating to the 2014 Hong Kong protests.[2][7] The film was first screened on 23 November 2017[6] at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.[2] Tickets for the film's two premieres were sold out in two hours,[8] and the film has since been popular at many screenings at colleges, universities, arts and community venues,[9][3] including the Hong Kong Film Archive, HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity and the Hong Kong Science Museum. However, as of May 2018, no mainstream cinema in Hong Kong was willing to screen the film, renewing fears about the continued erosion of freedom of speech and self-censorship in Hong Kong.[2][3] Time magazine, in recognition of Edward Leung on its "100 Next" list, called the film essential viewing for participants of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.[10] Protesters frequently screened the film during the 2019 protests in order to raise public awareness of protest activities.[11][12][13]

In Singapore, the film was classified as M18, which meant that the film was restricted to persons aged 18 or above, because of "political sensitivities," and was only screened to members of the Singapore Film Society.[14][15]

Reception

The film won a merit award at the 2017 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.[16] At the 2018 Taiwan International Documentary Festival, the film received a Special Award for Chinese-language documentaries.[17]

Impact of national security law

The Hong Kong national security law was enacted by China in June 2020. The law includes sweeping provisions against "subversion", including "inciting hatred of the central government and Hong Kong's regional government". Subversion and advocating secession are punishable by life imprisonment. The law is considered a serious threat to Hong Kong's freedom of speech.

The Hong Kong University Students' Union intends to host a screening of Lost in the Fumes in February 2021, the fifth anniversary of the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest. In light of the national security law, the university administration urged against showing the film, and indicated that campus security may be deployed to block the screening.[18]

References
  1. "Lost in the Fumes". Taiwan International Documentary Festival (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. 吳婉英 (28 May 2018). "主流戲院拒放映《地厚天高》 監製嘆政治審查：商業市場應有位置" [The mainstream theater refuses to show" Earth to the Sky "and the supervision system sighs political review: the commercial market should have its place]. Citizen News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. Chu, Karen (8 May 2018). "Controversial Hong Kong Doc Sparks Fears of Self-Censorship". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  4. 楊文俊 (24 March 2018). "從《地厚天高》看梁天琦為何是年輕人心目中永遠的英雄" [From the "Thickness of the Earth" to see why Liang Tianqi is a eternal hero in the eyes of young people "]. Citizen News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  5. "地厚天高" [Ground thick sky high]. 公共電視紀錄片平台 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  6. "【專訪】《地厚天高》爆場又如何？ 導演林子穎：其實紀錄片好剝削人" [[Interview] What about the explosion of "Ground Thick Sky High"? Director Lin Ziying: In fact, documentaries are very exploitative]. Stand News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 15 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. 呂麗嬋 (4 December 2017). "【爆場紀錄片】公映5場爭商業院線上映 投資者：望港片百花齊放". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  8. 呂麗嬋 (4 December 2017). "【爆場紀錄片】拆解抑鬱暴食梁天琦 90後港導：這不是社運片是青春片". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  9. "Who is Edward Leung? The meteoric rise and fall of the Hong Kong independence leader". Hong Kong Free Press. AFP. 11 June 2018. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  10. "TIME 100 Next 2019: Edward Leung". Time. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. "【逃犯條例】沙田組織快閃放映梁天琦紀錄片 盼公眾關注修例". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  12. "【梁天琦上訴】沙田新城市播《地厚天高》 觀眾哽咽轟警濫捕青年". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 9 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  13. "修例風波：網民馬鞍山辦放映會 約百人參與". Oriental Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  14. "《地厚天高》新加坡列為「18禁」 不設公開售票 導演林子穎：可以播已經幾好". Stand News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  15. "【不准售票】《地厚天高》登陸新加坡變「18禁」 只限會員欣賞". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  16. "第二十四屆香港電影評論學會大獎". Hong Kong Film Critics Society (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  17. "第11屆台灣國際紀錄片影展（TIDF）競賽結果揭曉". Taiwan International Documentary Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 10 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  18. Cheng, Selina (3 February 2021). "Security law: University of Hong Kong warns students to axe film screening about jailed activist Edward Leung, union vows to proceed". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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