"Letters from the Imprisoned: Chow Hang Tung" Nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards
"Letters from the Imprisoned: Chow Hang Tung", part of Green Bean's "Hongkongers: A Re-Collection" series, has been nominated today for Best Documentary Short Film at the 61st Golden Horse Awards. The results will be announced next month.
In documentaries, the focus has always been on the featured subject – their experiences and the circumstances they face.
Chow Hang Tung, Vice-Chairperson of the former Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, has been serving a prison sentence or remanding in custody at Tai Lam Centre for Women since September 2021. Prolonged pretrial detention has become the norm under the National Security Law. This barrister continues to contemplate Hong Kong's rule of law whilst in prison, persistently communicating with the public through letters. She writes letters and court submissions until her hands develop calluses, and she keeps writing. However, as her time in custody lengthens, media coverage has gradually dwindled.
For the media, does imprisonment render someone no longer newsworthy?
This is one of the examples. After receiving the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law late last year, Chow was severely punished with 18 days in solitary confinement for allegedly keeping too many letters, violating prison regulations. According to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, prolonged solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days is prohibited, and disciplinary sanctions must never amount to torture or inhumane treatment. Shouldn't this warrant attention from the media?
We must not let history remain blank.
We compiled Chow's public letters and speeches, releasing them in two parts this January, first as Cantonese audio versions, reading aloud her prison writings to document this era of the new Hong Kong.
On 4 June this year, through animation and English narration, we produced "Letters from the Imprisoned: Chow Hang Tung", now nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the Golden Horse Awards.
Those who have lost their freedom would rather be punished for speaking out.
We cannot remain silent.
There are more people waiting to be seen.
Be seen, and be together.
=============
Revisit
▶️ "Letters from the Imprisoned: Chow Hang Tung" Animated Version (English)
▶️ Chow Hang-tung's Prison Letters (Part 1) Audio Version (Cantonese)
▶️ Chow Hang-tung's Prison Letters (Part 2) Audio Version (Cantonese)
=============
🌱 Support Green Bean to continue documenting and speaking out. Please visit greenbean.media to support us. Click here: https://bit.ly/3NvZjud
=============