Title of Proposal: From the Dragon’s Mouth
Storyline: Freedom – it’s the only thing that can give dignity to human existence…
Comment:
In early 1997 the Handover of Hong Kong back to China was looming larger than ever. As an historical event, where one of the last of Great Britain’s empires was being handed back to its original owners, it certainly took center stage on a global scale. As one of the defining moments of the last decade, if not the last century, it became very clear that I should somehow record this atmosphere-charged piece of history. At the time, there were hundreds of TV crews from around the world looking for a story, an angle, a way in which to record this extraordinary event, as well as teams of documentary makers.
In the same way, I also felt that there needed to be a commentary on how life has changed in Hong Kong, some years down the track – and so, with this in mind, in 2002 I interviewed some of the same people I talked to before to get a glimpse into the new order and the changes that have come about. Similar in some ways to Michael Apted’s British 7-Up television series, “From The Dragon’s Mouth” will complete a 10 year cycle in 2007, when we will be able to see how far Hong Kong has progressed 10 years after the 1997 Handover, as we will also be shooting interviews in 2006 / 2007.
I believe that this documentary is an important recording not only of an event in history, but also an insight into the people who live there, their thoughts, their fears and their aspirations. This story is relevant to a universal audience because it is a story about resilience and hard work – a story about contradictions and contrasts, and the paradoxical basic law of one country, two systems.
This was a once in a lifetime event, recorded in situ and while it was happening. It is impossible to ever capture that point in history again and people’s fears and observations as handover madness was swirling around them. This is what makes this documentary unique. And the fact that we progressively see the changes over five year periods, culminating in 2007 with the 10th Anniversary of the Handover.