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 China imposed a sweeping
national security law over its most restive city
last year, and Hong Kong's legislature has no
opposition lawmakers left after mass
resignations from the pro-democracy camp in
protest against the ousting of some colleagues.
The Hong Kong government said the film
censorship law was aimed at content deemed to
"endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite
activities that might endanger national
security."
The law empowers Hong Kong's chief secretary,
the second-most powerful figure in the city's
administration, to revoke a film's licence if it
is "found to be contrary to national security
interests."
Punishment for violating the law included up to
three years imprisonment and fines of up to HK$1
million ($128,400).
"The goal is very clear: it’s to improve the
film censorship system, to prevent any act
endangering the national security," Commerce
Secretary Edward Yau told the Legislative
Council.
Critics, however, voiced fears that the new law
would harm Hong Kong's vibrant cinema industry,
whose output ranges from Bruce Lee's innovative
martial arts movies to acclaimed director Wong
Kar-wai's arthouse films.
"Adding national security clauses to the bill is
clear political censorship," said Kenny Ng,
associate professor at the Academy of Film at
Hong Kong Baptist University.
"It's heavy-handed. The film industry will need
time to adapt."
Since the national security law was introduced
in response mass 2019 pro-democracy protests,
most opposition politicians and activists have
been jailed, either under the new law or for
other alleged crimes, or have fled into exile.
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 Scrutiny over education, arts,
media and culture has intensified. Book
publishers have admitted to self-censoring,
cinemas have pulled a protest documentary and a
university cancelled a press photography
exhibition. A contemporary art museum said
national security police could vet its
collections. Pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily
closed in June amid a national security probe.
This year, for the first time since 1969, the
Oscars were not broadcasted in Hong Kong,
matching decisions in mainland China, despite an
unprecedented nomination for a Hong Kong-born
director.
Authorities reject the description of their
actions as a "crackdown" on civil society and
say the rights and freedoms promised to Hong
Kong upon its return to Chinese rule in 1997
remain intact, but national security is a "red
line".
Filmmaker Kiwi Chow, whose documentary
"Revolution of Our Times" chronicles the 2019
protests and was featured at this year’s Cannes
Film Festival, says the bill hurts the local
movie industry by reducing "the freedom to
create."
"It will worsen self-censorship and fuel fear
among filmmakers," Chow told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Hong Kong newsroom;
Editing by Marius Zaharia and Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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