Sinead Kirwan's determination to capture the courage of Hong Kong protesters

A protester holds an umbrella as he lifts a tear-gas canister fired by police in Hong Kong

Carrying umbrellas, a practical shield against pepper spray that would become a symbol of their fight, the protesters of Hong Kong stood united against the authorities to demand democracy in powerful images seen around the world.

Among those watching the footage in 2019 was film-maker Sinead Kirwan in Edinburgh and she quickly realised, as the Hong Kong authorities launched a crackdown, that this was a story she had to help tell.

“As I watched the footage, I could feel the anxiety and almost smell the tear gas. There was no mistaking the feeling of chaos, of people reacting to fast-changing situations,” she said. “It was easy to place myself in those situations, running around and not knowing which way to turn, a peaceful situation that changes quickly and becomes scary.”

Kirwan, who previously produced films about the 1980s miners’ strike and domestic abuse in Turkey, is part of the team behind Hong Kong: City On Fire, a documentary about the protests.

“I had contacts in Hong Kong and, when I saw what was happening, I reached out to a friend who was a journalist over there. It became clear they had fantastic material but it would be a problem to finish it in Hong Kong for security reasons, so I worked with them to raise money to carry on filming and to edit it in the UK. We were lucky to have the support of Creative Scotland.”

It was directed by Choi Ka-yan and Lee Hiu-ling, two Hong Kongers who felt the story was being sensationalised abroad and who wanted to shine a light on the layers of society supporting the protests.

This activism became more widespread when a controversial bill enabling extradition from Hong Kong to China was introduced, resulting in unprecedented numbers of people taking to the streets. Kirwan said: “The directors explained to me how everyone was trying to work out what they could do within their own limits to push through democracy. It was fascinating to find out about protesters and what they were like as people.”

The documentary highlights four protesters: Yan, a student who keeps track of arrested protesters and connects them with lawyers; Shing-long, who is involved with the most violent protesters and whose activism clashes with his marriage; AJ, a youth who had a troubled childhood; and his girlfriend, Jennie.

“So many news stories and films about Hong Kong are made by outsiders, like myself, so I felt it was important Hong Kongers themselves got the chance to share their version of what happened in this year of dissent,” said Kirwan.

“I did a feature on the miners’ strike which went across a whole year and had similar themes that appealed to me – about young people of a similar age being driven to more extreme action by the response of the state.”

Full list of extra times added to release of Hong Kong: City on Fire !! https://t.co/JmYFOT1XkI pic.twitter.com/eOtoG8t1Wl

— Enemy Films (@EnemyWithin1984) November 16, 2022

One of the heartrending scenes shows students wailing and dropping to their knees in emotional exhaustion when confronting the president of the Chinese University Of Hong Kong, as they plead with him to stand with them against the police brutality.

“That is such an important scene because it shows what a traumatic experience this is for the young people,” said Kirwan.

With the introduction of the national security law, the majority of Hong Kong’s most outspoken activists are believed to now either be in jail or have fled overseas, with many Hong Kongers having since set up home in Scotland.

Hong Kong: City On Fire is at Odeons in Dundee, Dunfermline, East Kilbride, Glasgow and Kilmarnock on Tuesday