Chan Tze-woon
{{Short description|Hong Kong filmmaker (born 1989)}}
Chan Tze-woon (born 1989) is an independent documentary filmmaker from Hong Kong.{{Cite web |title=Chan Tze-woon |url=https://iffr.com/en/person/chan-tze-woon |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=IFFR EN |language=en-GB}} His works focus on Hong Kong's social movements and historical memory, using film to document the changing times and the emotional journeys of protesters. His works include Yellowing and Blue Island.
Biography
Chan Tze-woon graduated from the Hong Kong Baptist University’s Academy of Film in 2013. His graduation project, The Aqueous Truth, was a mockumentary that hypothesized the government secretly adding sedatives to the city’s water supply to suppress extreme protest sentiments.{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2017-04-10 |title=Umbrellas Up: Sociopolitical Documentaries in Hong Kong |url=https://www.objectifs.com.sg/chantzewoontalk/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=OBJECTIFS |language=en-US}} The film explored Hong Kong citizens' political apathy and blind belief in authority.
His 2014 work, Being Rain: Representation and Will, another mockumentary, imagined the government using artificial rain to deter public demonstrations. Filmed during significant moments such as the 6.22 Civil Referendum and the July 1st march, the fictional storyline inevitably evoked associations with the invisible obstacles faced during the 2014 Umbrella Movement.
Shortly after graduation, Chan found himself amid the 2014 Umbrella Movement. For 97 days, he closely followed and documented the experiences of its participants. His first feature documentary, Yellowing, offered a first-person perspective into the movement, capturing the emotions and reflections of those involved. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Awards{{Cite web |title=《亂世備忘》：香港的雨傘備忘錄，台灣的太陽花信籤 |url=https://www.upmedia.mg/news_info.php?Type=5&SerialNo=6447 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=上報 www.upmedia.mg}} and won the prestigious Ogawa Shinsuke Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival{{Cite web |date=2017-10-11 |title=傘運紀錄片《亂世備忘》山形電影節獲獎 導演陳梓桓望國際關注香港 {{!}} 立場新聞 |url=https://collection.news/thestandnews/articles/64974 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=聞庫}} in Japan.
In 2017, Chan began working on Blue Island, a hybrid documentary blending real-life footage with dramatized reenactments to explore the struggles of different generations of protesters.{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Xueli |date=2022-07-29 |title=Ashes of Time |url=https://www.artforum.com/columns/chan-tze-woons-past-and-future-hong-kong-251970/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}{{cite web |last=Kenigsberg |first=Ben |date=28 July 2022 |title=‘Blue Island’ Review: In Hong Kong, the Past Is Present |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/movies/blue-island-review.html |access-date=6 August 2022 |website=The New York Times |publisher= |quote=}} During its production, he once again took to the streets to document history as it unfolded, capturing the pivotal moments of the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement. The film won 3 awards at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival{{Cite web |last=Fernando |first=Shaun |date=2022-06-30 |title=‘Blue Island’: Film Reveals Hong Kongers Seeking Their Identity {{!}} JAPAN Forward |url=https://japan-forward.com/blue-island-film-reveals-hong-kongers-seeking-for-their-identity/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=japan-forward.com |language=en-US}} and was once again nominated for Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Awards.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Peter |date=2022-11-19 |title=In Blue Island, a documentary destined never to be shown in Hong Kong, ex-protesters recreate city's history |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2022/11/19/in-blue-island-a-documentary-destined-never-to-be-shown-in-hong-kong-ex-protesters-recreate-citys-history/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=Hong Kong Free Press HKFP |language=en-GB}}
Despite the shifting political landscape and tightening creative restrictions, Chan remains committed to using film as a means of chronicling history. He believes that "the more the regime seeks to suppress our imagination, the more we must envision the possibility of a better future." His works not only document Hong Kong’s protests but also reflect the resilience and convictions of its creators.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-12 |title=【專訪】反送中紀錄片 《憂鬱之島》 導演陳梓桓：反抗政權給我們的「未來」（上） |url=https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1074428 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=獨立媒體}}
Films
- The Aqueous Truth (2013)
- Being Rain: Representation and Will (2014)
- Yellowing (2016)
- Blue Island (2022)