Hong Kong, SAR
Ai Weiwei’s “Cockroach” (2020) is a documentary film about the mass protest against a controversial extradition bill in Wanchai on June 16, 2019.
In February 2019, the Hong Kong government proposed a bill, which would have allowed the extradition of criminal suspects from Hong Kong to face trial in mainland China.
The controversial bill sparked immediate outrage over widespread fear of arbitrary detention and politically motivated trials that would decimate Hong Kong’s autonomy under ‘one country, two systems.’
Anti-bill protests escalated into pro-democracy demonstrations.
“Cockroach,” filmed during the height of the protests, captures the extraordinary intensity of an unprecedented era in Hong Kong’s history.
Spanning the evolution of the protest movement, it captures street demonstrations, police suppression and violence, and key events, such as the multi-day siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Interviews with Hong Kongers feature activists, protestors, politicians, ordinary citizens, and policemen.
Prominent legislators, lawyers and activists articulate the perils of intensifying assaults on freedoms and rule of law.
“Cockroach” is directed by the acclaimed Chinese artist / filmmaker Ai Weiwei, director of many doc films including Chang’an Boulevard, Beijing 2003, Disturbing the Peace, So Sorry, Stay Home, Human Flow, The Rest, CoroNation, and more.
Project: Cockroach
Artist: Ai Weiwei
