Lost in the Fumes: Affective resistance in relation to the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement

Abstract

Recent years have demonstrated the rise of localism worldwide. In an Asian context, we are witnessing an increasing number of protest events and numerous social movement documentaries being produced. In Hong Kong, Edward Tin-kei Leung 梁天琦 was the first self-proclaimed localist to participate in a democratic election and the first to be charged for riot since the Handover. The documentary film of Leung’s story, Lost in the Fumes, achieved an impressive degree of popularity among local people during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) movement. Analysing its storylines and plots, as well as filming techniques, from the perspectives of film studies and cultural studies, together with several interviews as a supplement, this article examines the emotional connections of films and protesting bodies in social movements. It explores the cinematic representation of Leung and how this representation was received by viewers to facilitate self-mobilization in the Anti-ELAB Movement. Hence, I will analyse the functions of films as a cultural or emotional foundation in social movements that facilitate the creation of a shared emotional engagement.