In the aftermath of social unrest and political violence, how does one write the story of what comes after, and how does one live on?

In the wake of the 2019 protests that upended my hometown Hong Kong, the question of the aftermath has stayed with me. There is still so much unresolved hurt, so much everyday violence that has become internalized and normalized, and so much uncertainty when it comes to imagining the future. This program started, really, as a personal exploration at a time when I was lost and did not know how to move forward. I turned to films, in and beyond Hong Kong, that try to articulate what happens in the aftermath. What I found were diverse histories but a resolutely common ground, a feeling that we’ve been here before, and that I am not alone in living and thinking through the question of how to carry on in the long duration of an aftermath much less visible and tangible than the violence itself.

Each film in this program speaks to different dimensions of the aftermath, grounded in their local and historical specificities. Collectively, they reflect on the histories and memories carried by ordinary people and imprinted in the landscapes around us. These films taught me that the aftermath is ongoing and present, subtle and ordinary. Those who live the daily force of violence know that the aftermath is not over and they insist on living on, in spite of all.