In June 2014, we were assigned by Al Jazeera English to make a 25-minute documentary about democracy in Hong Kong. Back then, the campaign for genuine universal suffrage was just taking off, and we spent many hours getting to know activists involved in the movement. They were a passionate, committed lot. But even they could not foresee what was to come. By late September, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers would rise up in the biggest challenge to Beijing’s authority since Tiananmen.
A single episode for Al Jazeera turned into a three-part series. We’re proud of the TV work we’ve done, but there is so much more we could not share.
‘Umbrella Diaries’ is a more personal account of the Umbrella Movement. While we work towards finishing up our feature documentary, we will be posting edited clips, anecdotes and photographs here.
For Hong Kong, the struggle continues. As we launch this site, activists are gearing up to mark the first anniversary of the movement. We will be out filming. We know there will be many more stories to tell.
James Leong and Lynn Lee
September 26, 2015