A film about the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong which has not been screened locally won the prize for best documentary at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday.

Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow Kwun-wai’s 2½-hour documentary Revolution of Our Times, which takes its title from a widely used protest slogan, records how frontline demonstrators operated on the ground during months of unrest that became increasingly violent.

Chow previously told the Post the film would not be screened in Hong Kong, publicly or underground, because he did not want to risk the safety of his team, interviewees and cinema operators.

Kiwi Chow pre-recorded a video message for the awards ceremony.

While none of the local film crew was present at the awards ceremony in Taipei, the slogan “Hong Kong add oil” could be heard from the crowd.

Chow accepted the award in a pre-recorded video message and said he dedicated the film to “Hongkongers who have a conscience, justice and who have cried for Hong Kong”.

“I cried many times when making the film and many times I found comfort, vented my anger and hatred, and faced my fear and trauma through this film,” the 42-year-old director said.

“To those who have remained in Hong Kong, myself included,” he said, choking back tears, “and to those to have emigrated overseas, or those who are in prison, even though you may not have the opportunity to see the film, I really pray to God that the mere existence of this film can give you solace and an embrace.”

Chow’s documentary was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in July and he later sold the copyright of the work to protect himself from any legal backlash.

The Taiwan-based Golden Horse Awards, which began in 1962, showcase Chinese-language films from around the world and are sometimes known as Asia’s Oscars.

The top prize, for best narrative feature, this year went to The Falls, directed by Taiwan’s Chung Mong-hong. It tells the story of a mother and daughter’s fraught relationship when they quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic and is set in Taiwan.

Hong Kong film Drifting received 12 nominations including for best director, best leading actor and best cinematography. It came away with the prize for best adapted screenplay. The film is based on a 2012 court case involving homeless people in the working class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po.

Last month, legislators passed a bill to tighten the city’s film censorship laws, enabling the government to ban works deemed contrary to the national security law.

Beijing imposed the security law on the city on June 30 last year, banning acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The legislation was passed in the wake of the 2019 protests.

For the third straight year mainland China snubbed the awards and none of its films were nominated. The awards irked Beijing when a Taiwanese director called for the island’s independence in an acceptance speech at the 2018 ceremony, triggering the mainland film regulator to call for an official boycott the following year.

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan its territory and vows to take it under its control, by force if necessary.