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Deep Dive: Inside the Red Brick Wall (2020)

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Inside the Red Brick Wall
Inside the Red Brick Wall is an 88-minute documentary that chronicles the clashes between police and protesters at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during the anti-extradition bill movement in November 2019. The film unfolds chronologically, capturing key moments such as the police surrounding the campus on November 17, deploying water cannons and armored vehicles against protesters who responded with petrol bombs and bricks. The film also depicts the attempts of the Special Tactical Squad to storm the university's main gate on November 18, leading to violent confrontations and the use of tear gas against protesters trying to escape. The documentary features the strategy of 'blossoming everywhere' initiated by protesters to divert police forces, which ultimately led to many arrests. It captures the deteriorating conditions inside the campus, including shortages of food and water, and the emotional turmoil faced by protesters as they debated their next steps. The film concludes with many protesters being forced to leave the campus, resulting in their arrests, highlighting the intense atmosphere of fear and despair during the siege.

Why Watch

  • •See police using water cannons against protesters at Polytechnic University.
  • •Find out about the 'blossoming everywhere' strategy by protesters.
  • •Meet secondary school principals trying to persuade protesters to leave.

Did You Know

•The documentary won the Best Editing Award at IDFA in 2020.
•It received the Best Film Award from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in January 2021.
•The film was awarded the Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in October 2021.
•The filmmakers worked anonymously under the name 'Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers' to avoid arrest.

Perfect For

Hong Kong protestsDocumentary filmmakingSocial movements