A Hong Kong cinema has scrapped its screenings of a documentary about the Polytechnic University protest siege just three hours before a scheduled evening show.
Golden Scene Cinema, which opened in Kennedy Town last month, announced the cancelation of the “Inside the Red Brick Wall” screenings in a Facebook post Monday.
It explained that the movie screening had led to the theatre receiving “excessive attention” in recent days.
“We deeply regret the change and hope that our audience can understand,” Golden Scene Cinema wrote.
The shows, for which tickets reportedly sold out in minutes, were slated for Monday 8 p.m. and this Sunday 9:30pm.
Documenting the violent clashes between protesters and police at Polytechnic University at the height of the 2019 protests, “Inside the Red Brick Wall” has yet to be hosted at any commercial cinema.
Last November, the Polytechnic University student union planned to screen the film to mark one year since the campus battle, seen by many as a watershed moment in the year-long movement.
But the university moved to ban the screenings, stating that they could be in violation of the national security law.
The documentary won best film at the 27th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards in January, and the shows at Golden Cinema were intended as part of a showcase for the winners of the prestigious recognition.
