for english pls roll down
社運電影節進入第十七屆，遇上香港前所未有的起義。
地球在最近十多年，從佔領華爾街到雨傘運動的「廣場佔領運動」，到黃背心與反送中等「無名者運動」，世界各地不約而同出現一波波群眾起義。罷工（第十一屆）、罷課（第十五屆）、佔路（第三屆）、佔廠（第十二屆）、佔超巿（第十五屆）、組成游擊隊（第十四屆）。能想像的，不能想像的，都做出來了。
過去幾個月來，一方面香港人花了一些功夫請求外國政治領袖支援香港，另一方面來自各地民間的聲援不絕。比如法國第40次黃背心遊行就以「支持香港民主，撐起雨傘」（ACTE 40 Soutien à la démocratie à Hongkong #SortezLesParapluies）為主題。身處他方的抗爭者對我們聲援，令我們備受鼓舞，但所謂跨越地域的團結是否僅止於此？特別想提的是，來自菲律賓工運朋友的訊息當中有一句：「香港群眾的訴求就是我們的訴求」。他們身在行動者與人民頻頻被警察殺害的國家，也如此聲援香港這個大力剝削菲律賓移工的城市反抗暴政，這種程度的「不割蓆」是怎樣的概念？
把人分隔的不只距離和國界，還有能力、膚色、身體、種族、性／別、階級……數之不盡。但我們之間的分野，其實沒有那麼堅固，一場反送中運動，邊界更顯得模糊了。
這邊廂，銀髮族、師奶、聾人、盲人、南亞裔人，一個個過去不被認為是「抗爭者」甚至「香港人」的人，各自跨越重重障礙，在這場運動裡齊上抗爭場域，找尋自己的位置。
那邊廂，有義士流亡陌生的異鄉，面對和難民或移民工一樣的處境：不熟悉的社會，前路茫茫，受盡身份甚至語言限制，連普通的揾工賺錢維持生活都變得極困難。有手足在抗爭裡遭遇警暴、黑社會的暴力恐嚇，失去視力或行動能力、身心受創，身體變得不再一樣，一下子成為「傷殘者」，而我們的社會每天都為「傷殘者」製造生活障礙。我哋／佢哋，其實一早已不能這樣割裂了。
有手足因政見差異而遭暗算報復與解僱者，一下子失去維生基礎。有義士被捕後面對失學失去自己曾熟悉的生活狀態，行將或現已在囚者，未來或前途都已被永久改變。
為了接住讓人心痛的義士手足，除了找門路捐錢，在網絡上轉傳他們慘困的消息，我們還可以做什麼？社會架構要有怎樣的改變，我們才能接得住落入這些景況的手足，接得住不知道哪一天會落入同樣景況的自己？如果我們說「核爆都不割蓆」，當世界和命運把他們割開去，我們要如何重新縫合蓆子，不讓他們被社會制度排除掉？甚至成為抗爭者的更大保護傘，讓我們可以有力地持續結聚？
遠方被壓逼、被忽略的群體，在底層和社會邊緣持續抗爭，他們的經驗和實驗或者能夠成為我們的思考資源。過去電影節亦有不少向不同能力群體的朋友學習的影片，例如第五屆的八東病房、第十四屆的何處有希望？「合法被殺」的黑色幽默、第十五屆的g調子——屋簷下的合奏等，都讓我們學習用一種撼動健全主義社會去批判社會，學習他們如何走在一起。今屆亦有不同能力人士的影片呈現，或許當這社會能更照顧不同才性的人的參與，邊緣群體相對沒那麼邊緣，底層或被壓迫人們也能更有力量連結且壯大一些?
當然，這些各方被忽略被壓迫的群體，在底層和社會邊緣的持續抗爭從來毫不輕易。有的以血腥鎮壓及大搜捕告終，有的在外國不間斷軍事介入下持續混亂，有的暫時與政府妥協，有的贏得選舉然後背叛，有的純粹無疾而終，也有的成功奪權。成功？失敗？不對，這樣描述連「簡化」都說不上，無法讓人知道一場席捲社會的反抗運動揚起了多少沙塵，有多少迴響。最近法國的黃背心朋友拿一張反送中前線布陣圖解跟我說，他們正在檢討為何會打不過警察，看到香港有這樣的教學，覺得很了不起。我說，其實我們從未打贏過警察，只能盡力減少戰友被捕、受傷。他就說，那不就是成功嗎？
電影節帶來的不僅是鬥志昂揚大獲全勝的故事，生活在完全不同的時空進行各種各樣的抗爭，遠方朋友的經驗，往往無法與我們面對的困境一一對應，但總能帶來激勵、靈感、反省和療傷。沒有什麼能直接套用的成功抗爭典範，也沒有什麼抗爭是一勞永逸的勝利或者萬劫不復的失敗。任何抗爭，都是一個更長遠、迂迴又直接的累積——我們希望熒幕前的你也如是對待電影節帶來的其他地方的抗爭故事，那些直接間接的感受化成種子落在心上。
感謝各路行動者給予電影節重新詮釋堅持這些口味的原因。香港社會運動電影節，今年17歲，累積了不少影片以及背後的思考資源，我們仍在接地氣當中。今年九月院校學生籌備罷課，多間大學欲以2017年社運電影節一部有關克羅地亞學生佔領運動的選片切入當下罷課的討論。
如大家有意重溫過去歷屆影片，歡迎自組小組聯繫我們（詳見關於我們部份）。
第十七屆香港社會運動電影節籌備委員會
2019年9月
電影節時間表：
timetable
https://smff2019.wordpress.com/timetable/
The social movement film festival has entered the 17th anniversary, encountering an unprecedented uprising in Hong Kong.
In the last two decades, from the “ square movement” including the occupy wall street and umbrella movement, to the recent “ anonymous movement” such as the yellow vests movement and anti-extradition movement, waves of popular uprisings have sprung up all over the world. The actions which can or cannot be perceived have become reality including workers’ strike ( the 11th smff), students’ strike (the 15th smff), setting up road blockage (the 3th smff), factory occupation(the 12th smff) , occupy supermarket(the 15th smff) and guerilla action (the 14th smff).
In the past few months, hong kong people spend some efforts in seeking support from foreign political leaders, while support from global people never ends. For example, the 40th yellow vests movement in France set their action film as “Support Hong Kong, Hold up the umbrellas ” （ACTE 40 Soutien à la démocratie à Hongkong #SortezLesParapluies）. Support from protestors around the world makes us encouraging for a moment, but does the so-called “cross the boundary” only limited to this aspect? We would like to remind, one of the quotes from our labour movement comrade in the Phillippines: “ in the spirit of solidarity, to adopt the demands of the protesters of Hong Kong as our own" The activists from a country which activists are frequently killed by the police, still come up and support Hong Kong, a city which exploit Philippine migrant workers severely, to resist government oppression, how could we comprehend such level of “not to distance from comrades”?
Distance and nation were not the only separated man kind, various reasons such as ability , skin colour, body , race , gender and with more. Yet the difference were not as obvious as it seems during this anti extradition law amendment our difference seems getting blur.
On one hand, senior citizens, housewives/caretakers, the blind, the deaf, the ethnic minorities.Those were not being identified as “protestors” nor even “hongkongers”, in the past, each crossover their obstacles and participated in the movement and the protest site, seeking their specific roles in protest.
On the other hand, some crusaders exiled overseas, facing the same situation as an asylum or migrant workers: unfamiliar society, the road in front is indefinite, limited in many aspects because of one’s identity, even just to find an ordinary job to sustain a living becomes extremely difficult. Some comrades suffered from police brutality or violence threatening by triads, lost their physical sight or exercise ability, or even psychologically wounded, the body is no longer the original one, and suddenly becomes a “disabled”, while our society has always been keep on creating living obstacles to “the disabled”. We/they could no longer be split.
Some comrades being lost their job because of political views, lost their earnings of living in a sudden. Some comrades lost the academics lost their once familiar living mode, facing or already been sentenced, their future has been altered permanently.
To support those suffering comrades, apart from recruiting donation, forwarding their saddening news on the internet, what else can we do? How does the social structure has to be changed, so that there could be a safety net for our suffering comrades, or ourselves who may possibly fall into the same situation? If we say “ not to distance from comrades even a nuclear explosion” , when the world and the destiny distance them away, how could we re-sew our linkage, not to let them being expel from the social structure? Or even, to make a bigger umbrella for all protestors, that we could unite with more strength?
Groups of people being neglected and oppressed far far away, have been struggling at the bottom and along the margins of society. Their experience and experiment(s), might be able to become our source of inspiration. In the past we screened many films about groups of people having different abilities – from whom we have been able to learn from. for instance, 8/F East wing, Jen-Ai Hospital in 5th smff, Where is hope? the art of murder in 14th smff, and The key of g in 15th smff. All these have inspired us to learn to criticize, by questioning and crumbling ableism very much internalized in society; and to learn from people with different abilities – how to stand with one another, and be connected together. This year, films about people with different abilities are to be screened. Perhaps when the participation of people with different abilities and personalities could be taken more care of; when marginalized groups become less marginalized, the power of people at the bottom or of those being oppressed, may be able to connect and become stronger.
For sure, the ongoing struggles of these people neglected and oppressed in every sense, have never been easy. Some struggles ended up in bloody suppression and massive arrest; some remained chaos under constant international military intervention; some were settled by compromise with the government temporarily; some won the election and betrayed the people; some just ended imperceptibly; and some did succeed to regain the power. Were those struggles a success or failure? No, it is not even ‘simplifying’ to use these words to describe all these situations, that these words are unable to let people understand how much dust and echo have been sprung up, brought by the struggles and movements sweeping over the society. Recently a French yellow vest friend of mine has talked to me with a diagram of ‘strategic distribution of frontline protestors in the movement of anti-extradition law’, saying that they have been evaluating why they were no match for the police. My friend said it was amazing to see this kind of information shared around. I said, in fact we have never been able to beat the police, all we could do was to minimize the number of comrades being arrested and getting hurt. He then said, isn’t this successful?
What smff brings is not limited to successful stories with spirit and motivation, we all live in entirely different time and space, participating in all sorts of struggles. Experience of our friends from afar, may not be able to correspond to every bit of the hardship we are facing, still it brings motivations, inspirations, reflections and healing chances. There is neither direct example of a successful struggling model that can be copied, nor a definite conclusion of a struggle – be it a total victory or a complete failure. Any struggle is a long-term, winding and direct integration – we hope you will think alike in front of the screen, when watching stories of struggle of other places brought by smff, and let your direct and indirect impressions and feelings become seeds which stay in your heart.
We are grateful to activists from all aspects, for giving smff reasons to re-interpret why we insist on our taste in organizing smff. The hong kong social movement film festival is 17 years old, with loads of films and the resources accumulated behind, we are still learning in every scene and moment. This year in September, students are preparing for a strike. Many tertiary institutions are screening the film smff had screened in 2017, about the movement of Croatian students occupying their school campus, to start up discussions of the current situation with students. If any one is interested in watching films we screened in the past, welcome to form your group and contact us for further arrangement (see ‘About Us’ for details).
the 17th hksmff committee
sep 2019
