A documentary film titled “Joshua Wong: Youth with a Cause vs. Superpower” has been overlooked for 9 years since its release. However, after being criticized by the Chinese Communist Party media recently, it unexpectedly sparked retaliatory viewing, quickly climbing to the number one spot on Netflix Hong Kong’s film chart within just three days.
The 78-minute film, directed by an American filmmaker, chronicles the journey of Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong leading the student group “Scholarism” in opposing what they called patriotic education and later participating in the Umbrella Movement, with appearances by Nathan Law and Agnes Chow.
On September 14th, the CCP-controlled Hong Kong newspaper “Wen Wei Po” suddenly criticized the documentary for “glorifying Joshua Wong’s crimes,” and condemned Netflix for challenging national security bottom line.
Hong Kong Legislative Council member Tang Ka-piu subsequently urged the government to take down the film and applied for an injunction, demanding local telecom companies to cooperate in blocking it. Another legislator, Regina Ip, asserted that the film’s release reflects a deliberate use of media, culture, and audiovisual mediums for “soft confrontation.”
On the same day, the Hong Kong Security Bureau informed the media that the government is “taking relevant actions.”
This old film, released in 2017, originally did not attract much public attention in Hong Kong. However, after being collectively criticized by official and pro-establishment media, it sparked a phenomenon of citizens engaging in “retaliatory viewing” or out of mere curiosity. According to the streaming ranking site FlixPatrol, the documentary rose to third place on September 16th and reached the top spot on Netflix Hong Kong’s film chart on September 17th.
As of now, Netflix has not made a formal response to the requests for removal. The film’s introduction page is still intact on Netflix’s Hong Kong website, and the 2-minute trailer can still be publicly viewed.
The former secretary-general of the Hong Kong political party Demosistō, 29-year-old Joshua Wong, who was previously sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison for participating in a pro-democracy primary, was originally scheduled to be released in January 2027. However, while serving his sentence last June, he was additionally charged with “conspiring with foreign forces” and arrested again. On September 2nd this year, Joshua Wong pleaded guilty during a plea hearing at the High Court, and the court has postponed the case for further sentencing.