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‘With the police brutality over the five months, it’s evolved from a political problem into, actually, an ethical one.’
– Pro-democracy protestor, November 2019, Hong Kong
Since being transferred from British to Chinese control in 1997, Hong Kong has operated under a ‘one country, two systems’ framework, which allowed its government relative independence from the Chinese Communist Party, and its people more rights than those living on mainland China. But in February 2019, a proposed bill that would allow extradition to mainland China was viewed by many Hongkongers as a harbinger of human rights violations and political dissent crackdowns to come, sparking a massive pro-democracy protest movement in the region. And although Hong Kong’s government formally withdrew the bill in October 2019, police brutality and worries over continued threats to the political freedoms kept the movement afloat.
Compiled by the Norwegian journalist and filmmaker Anders Hammer between October 2019 and July 2020, Do Not Split is composed of incredible on-the-ground and from-the-air footage of the protests. This dramatic documentary reveals much about the situation in Hong Kong, including the pro-democracy movement’s struggle to survive COVID-19 and a sweeping new national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020. But beyond the scope of the South China Sea, it’s a telling glimpse into the nature of modern mass protest movements, in which clashes between protestors, counter-protesters and police are on the verge of combusting, and with each scene captured by swarms of cameraphones.
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Social psychology
What happened when a crypto scam swept over a sleepy town in the Caucasus
18 minutes
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Gender
A catchy tune explains the world’s ‘isms’ – according to your mum doing the laundry
5 minutes
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Architecture
A 3D rendering of the Colosseum captures its architectural genius and symbolic power
17 minutes
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Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
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Language and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
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Art
When East met West in the images of an overlooked, original photographer
9 minutes
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Values and beliefs
Why a single tree, uprooted in a typhoon, means so much to one man in Hanoi
7 minutes
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Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
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Animals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes