In 1966, the British colonial government’s Hong Kong Film Unit inaugurated its longest-running series Hong Kong Today (1966-1974). Initially established in 1959 under the Public Relations Office and later renamed Government Information Services (GIS), the Film Unit was a publicity arm of the Colonial Government of Hong Kong. Tellingly, the Today series in 1966 would begin the first of three years of deadly events that radically shook Hong Kong and the globe, changing the ways in which the Crown colony saw itself in relation to the British colonial government, as reflected in the early episodes of Hong Kong Today. The archival documents surrounding these film episodes, including one featuring the 1967 Maoist riots, were recently removed by the GIS from the archive of the Hong Kong Public Records Office. To keep the historical record alive, this presentation explores the textual elements of the films as well as the archival material surrounding the missing documents. By examining the dynamics behind the decisions of the Colonial government leadership, GIS, and the filmmakers, the essay critically unravels the 1967 riots as a pivotal point in the formation of Hong Kong as a locus of Cold War importance, complex colonialism, and change in government and population relationship.

Authors:
Seth Henderson, Duke Kunshan University, China

About the Presenter(s)
Seth Henderson is an Assistant Professor of Media and Arts at Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China and an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Global Studies at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina in the US.

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