Censors question union on June Fourth film screenings

The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said on Thursday night that it has been warned by film censors over its screening of two movies related to the June 4, 1989, crackdown in Beijing.

In a social media post, the union said staff from the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA) visited its office without prior notice in the evening, demanding more details of its plans to screen the film “Conjugation” on Saturday.

The officials also asked whether it had sought approval to show the documentary “I Have Graduated” to its members on May 22, the union said.

‘Conjugation”, which is banned on the mainland, featured the fictional stories of a few young people who escaped the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

“I have graduated”, meanwhile, documented the lives of several mainland university graduates who had experienced the June Fourth democracy movement.

The union accused the government workers of refusing to show their staff identification cards and taking photos of their office without permission. It also questioned whether the move amounted to political suppression.

In an email reply to RTHK, the OFNAA said its staff went to the union’s office for inspection and to seek more information after receiving an inquiry from the public on whether the screenings complied with the Film Censorship Ordinance.

It said it would not comment on the specifics of the operation.