What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how independent filmmakers in Hong Kong use cinematic elements to depict fear related to social issues.

February 2, 2026

In the aftermath of the protests: The aesthetic construction of fear in Hong Kong’s independent cinema

Key Points

The aim is to explore how independent filmmakers in Hong Kong use cinematic elements to depict fear related to social issues.
Analysis of three independent short films: Night Is Young, After the Riots, Before the Liberation, and Stay If You Can/Go If You Must.
Examination of artistic and experimental cinematic strategies employed by these filmmakers.
Discussion of the sociopolitical context following the 2019 Hong Kong protests.
Identification of how cinematic strategies construct themes of fear and trauma.
Insights into the portrayal of state violence and authoritarianism in the films.
Illustration of how aesthetics serve as a metaphorical response to sociopolitical changes.

Abstract

In the wake of the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition protests, the independent filmmakers in Hong Kong have been continuously engaged in artistic filmmaking vis-à-vis the social milieu. By focusing on three independent short films, Night Is Young (Kwok Zune 2020), After the Riots, Before the Liberation (Chung Hong Iu 2020) and Stay If You Can/Go If You Must (Elysa Wendi 2019) as case studies, this article aims to examine how Hong Kong’s independent filmmakers employ cinematic elements to construct fear about social conflicts, state violence, trauma and authoritarianism. Crucially, these independent filmmakers have wisely deployed artistic and experimental cinematic strategies, while constructing the aesthetics of fear in Hong Kong’s independent cinema as a form of metaphorical response to the changing post-handover sociopolitical vicissitudes.

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