Commentary: Why Hong Kong’s cinema has gone quiet

The golden era of Hong Kong films and Cantopop was in the 1980s and 1990s, when directors such as Wong Kar Wai and actors like Tony Leung and Jackie Chan took to Western theatres while superstars such as Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui led the region’s pop culture.

Last year, the Christmas holiday slump for Hong Kong films sent a worrying signal, with a 20-year box office low. One reason is a surge in Hongkongers travelling again after three years of COVID-19. Border reopening also means more choices for pop concerts outside the city.

CHINA’S LONG SHADOW ON CREATIVITY?

But with the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 that curtailed civic freedoms and silenced dissent and another new security law in the brewing, the long shadow on Hong Kong’s creativity remains.

Domestic films have been barred from public screening locally under a 2021 film censorship law. Over the past months, two of Hong Kong’s most prominent lyricists have moved abroad.

And earlier this month, a leading performing arts academy in Hong Kong abruptly cancelled a scheduled drama performance of the Nobel literature prizewinner Dario Fo’s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, citing “legal risks”.

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Asia Pacific 32 years behind schedule in achieving sustainable development goals: UN

Areas that have shown substantial progress are eliminating poverty, and bolstering sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure. Even so, steps taken so far are insufficient to meet the 2030 targets for both goals, the report said.

It attributed the sluggish performance to an unfavourable global environment.

Numerous economies have yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing conflicts, both within and outside the region, have also disrupted global supply chains, stoked inflation and created lingering uncertainty.

The report added that recalibrating domestic policies is crucial to meeting these challenges.

DATA COLLECTION

However, some success stories have emerged from the region in recent years, particularly in data collection and usage, said Ms Beaven.

“A lot of nations across the region are using much more detailed information on causes of death, such as to address maternal mortality, and looking at the specific causes to work out the best policies,” she said.

Still, she said there is a need to address data gaps that continue to hinder the comprehensive assessment of the goals’ progress.

“We don’t have enough data to be able to really identify what specific policies are needed within each individual country, which will also be very context-specific. We need much more detailed data (for better assessment),” she said.

“We want to invest in data systems because once we have that data, then we can identify which groups are being left behind most, and decide which policies are needed to help those groups.”

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Terminally ill Hong Kong activist jailed again for sedition

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong activist with terminal cancer was jailed on Friday (Feb 16) for attempted sedition over plans to protest against China’s political clampdown with a prop coffin. Koo Sze-yiu, 78, is among the handful of outspoken government critics still remaining in the city after Beijing crushed HongContinue Reading