In the wake of the clampdown on Hong Kong's freedom, works by underground artists, musicians, dancers, illustrators and performance artists showcase how art can provide some of the most powerful forms of activism.
Content Advisory:
The work of Hong Kong’s artists and activists is made illegal by China in Hong Kong Mixtape. Due to its years as a British colony, Hong Kong has typically been more progressive than communist mainland China. However, that began to change when China regained control of the city and began to police it with its policies. This includes passing the National Security Law in the summer of 2020, which makes a list of words, images, slogans, and songs illegal. This ended up greatly affecting the many artists and activists who spent years using their work to criticize the Chinese regime.
Hong Kong Mixtape Synopsis
Hong Kong Mixtape is a documentary directed by San San F. Young, documenting her final visit to her home in Hong Kong right at the onset of the National Security Law, which makes any work of art that criticizes the government of China illegal. Many of the individuals affected by this law include performance artist Kacey Wong, the activist group Lady Liberty and their iconic statue, and local rapper Luna is a bep. Many of these creatives plan to evade persecution by fleeing Hong Kong for Taiwan, as San San F. Young says goodbye to the place that Hong Kong once was.
My Thoughts on Hong Kong Mixtape
In a nutshell, Hong Kong Mixtape is a film that is saying goodbye to the progressive society that Hong Kong once was before China began imposing more strict communist control of the city. The story of the National Security Law and its effect on Hong Kong is told from the first-hand account of the director San San F. Young, who knows that the very film she is making would probably prevent her from ever returning to Hong Kong again. As such, Hong Kong Mixtape is Young’s love letter to the place that Hong Kong once was.