The award-winning Norwegian journalist Different hammer (43) is nominated for an Oscar in the category of best short documentary for “Do Not Split”. In the film, Hammer goes very close to the protests that characterized Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020.
On Monday night, Hammer will receive the answer to whether the work will be rewarded with a gilded Oscar statuette. He is excited and happy.
– I am happy that we can contribute to the critical situation in Hong Kong getting more attention and that we are nominated. It is nice to be recognized by colleagues, says Hammer to Dagbladet.
Norwegian journalist Oscar-nominated
“Do Not Split” shows a period in which fundamental democratic rights disappear from Hong Kong, Hammer describes, and refers to the period in which the city’s inhabitants took to the streets to fight against China’s introduction of a new and strict security law.
– Everything that has happened around the Oscar nomination is very unusual for me. I have not experienced much attention before, but ironically, the best thing about the documentary has been Beijing’s reaction to the nomination, Hammer continues.
AT WORK: Anders Hammer during filming in a demonstration in Hong Kong. Photo: Cathy Chu
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DRAMATICALLY: Firebombs were frequently used by protesters in Hong Kong. Photo: Anders Hammer
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Since the Oscar Academy announced the nomination, Hammer’s phone has hardly been quiet. Internationally, there is great interest in “Do Not Split” supposedly creating concern in China.
– We have had a strange situation all the time our documentary becomes part of the further history of China and Hong Kong in that it has been subjected to censorship, Hammer says.
Bloomberg reports that the Chinese authorities have put pressure on “local media” in connection with this year’s Oscars. The authorities do not want the ceremony to be broadcast live and want the coverage to be reduced, the newspaper writes, quoting “sources with knowledge of the process”.
HARD BATTLES: More than 10,000 people were arrested, thousands injured and two killed during the Hong Kong protests. Photo: Anders Hammer
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BARRICADES: The street scene in Hong Kong was chaotic through 2019 and parts of 2020. Photo: Anders Hammer
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The news agency Reuters reports that the Hong Kong channel TVB, which has shown the Oscars every year since 1969, does not broadcast the award this year. The official reason is stated to be “for commercial reasons”.
– We quickly received messages about this, but no one in the government apparatus in Beijing has contacted me or the team about it. We know this through media reports, says Hammer.
In addition to “Do Not Split”, there is also concern about the political views of the Chinese director Chloe Zhao, who has been nominated in the category of best director for “Nomadland”.
The Chinese embassy in Norway writes in a statement to Dagbladet that they are not familiar with the situation described by, among others, Reuters and Bloomberg.
Chaotic – students escaped in sewer pipes
Broke nose
“Do Not Split” has been available at Aftenposten for a long time and can now also be found in NRK’s online player. In the documentary, Hammer follows several protesters through fierce street fights in Hong Kong. Many of them are young students.
Tear gas cartridges and firebombs hail downright, and in the middle of it all stand Hammer and movies.
– My technique is to let the camera hover close to capture the intensity. For my part, there was a danger of being hit by tear gas, cartridges, rubber bullets and firebombs, but I felt I was taking the least risk. I followed those who risked brutal handling and long prison sentences, says the filmmaker.
IN THE SMOKE: Anders Hammer films in the tear gas in the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong. Photo: Oliver Haynes
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He covered himself with a helmet and gas mask, and was hit by projectiles, he says. The riots also went over the face of the Norwegian journalist.
– I broke my nose at one point.
– What happened?
– People were pushed together and I got hit. So it is true that the nose is a vulnerable part of the body. I heard it crack. It was an uncomplicated break and it went well, but you can still see it, he says.
The protesters risk life imprisonment
Rights disappear
According to Hammer, it was tough to witness the psychological pressure that characterized the demonstrators, as well as to see their disappointment that the fight did not lead.
Despite the protests, the Security Act was introduced last summer, and according to the director, it already goes beyond basic rights, such as freedom of the press, the right of assembly and the right to protest.
– They are either under pressure or have disappeared. It creates a lot of fear because the law, among other things, is made to prevent similar democratic protests from happening again. There is also a lot of talk about censorship. The media in Hong Kong do not know where the boundaries of publishing go. The same applies to the art community who now do not know if the collections are illegal, says Hammer.
The embassy responds
– This is the end of Hong Kong
Dagbladet contacted the Chinese embassy in Norway for a comment on Hammer’s documentary. The answer is not credited to an individual, but is attributed to the «point of view of the embassy».
– People have different opinions. We believe the documentary does not reflect the whole picture. The rebels attacked the police with Molotov cocktails, they damaged public property and injured innocent civilians. The violence went beyond law and order in Hong Kong and strongly affected the everyday lives of the inhabitants, as well as the city’s economic development, the embassy writes.
Furthermore, they argue that the implementation of Hong Kong’s new security law and other reforms is essential to prevent “similar, violent acts”.
– This is forbidden and punishable in all countries in the world. We hope more people discover the truth, and work together to maintain progress and stability in Hong Kong. We believe Hong Kong is now entering a bright future, the embassy writes.
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