Chinese mainland netizens have called for a boycott and removal from cinemas of an upcoming movie directed by an alleged Hong Kong secessionist who reportedly discredited the local police, the government and denigrated “one country, two systems.”
Quite Now, a movie scheduled to be released on August 7, was directed by Alfred Cheung Kin-ting, who had made controversial comments during the riots against the extradition bill in 2019, according to online ticketing platforms and film rating websites. Cheung is also the film’s screenwriter.
The film claims to be China’s first beloved pet comedy film, starring Yu Shaoqun, Hu Xia and Wang Xinling from China’s Taiwan.
After mainland theaters started to reopen from July 20 as the epidemic ebbs, the movie has attracted heated debate and dissatisfaction on social media.
Netizens found that many posts on Cheung’s Facebook are suspected of supporting Hong Kong secessionists, discrediting the local police and government and defaming “one country, two systems.”
For example, he asked Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to step down on June 16, 2019. Attached to the post are two photos of anti-government assemblies.
After the comments drew attention, both his English classes and tea restaurants in the mainland were boycotted.
Challenged by the public outrage, Cheung said on his Facebook account on August 28, 2019 that he opposed Hong Kong secession.
However, he recently made comments on the issue of Hong Kong residents holding British National Overseas (BNO) passports migrating to the UK, encouraging local residents to think about migration.
The UK suggested in early July that it would offer 3 million Hong Kong residents’ access to British citizenship by expanding the residency rights of Hongkongers holding BNO passports, a move against China’s new security law for the city, which was criticized as interfering in China’s internal affairs.
The UK has massive untold interests in Hong Kong and wants to retain its colonial influence in the city as much as possible, observers said.
Cheung also demanded the local government to close off borders with the mainland on February 4 when the COVID-19 epidemic situation was serious. He attached a photo featuring a post tagged with the secessionist slogan “liberate Hong Kong.”
As a result, Cheung’s remarks have triggered public anger among mainland netizens.
Netizens flooded to the Chinese popular film review app Douban to call for a boycott against the movie.
The Global Times reporter found on Douban that all the comments under the film condemned the secessionist director.
Netizens said they would firmly resist the movie and called for it to be removed.
According to media reports, two movies – Imprisonment and Fagara – were removed in September 2019 because their lead actor and director had made Hong Kong secessionist comments.
Poeople display national and regional flags in Hong Kong, July 1, 2020. The Hong Kong Celebrations Association, a non-profit organization, held various activities on Wednesday to celebrate the passage of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. (Photo/China News Service)
