Free film documents work of Hong Kong teen activist

— Netflix

At age 14, Joshua Wong, shown here in the documentary “Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower,” stands against the Chinese government instituting pro-Communist education in Hong Kong. 

RENSSELAERVILLE — The Carey Center for Global good is screening a documentary, “Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower,” about the work of Hong Kong native and youth activist Joshua Wong, who at age 14 led the largest and most successful protest in the period after the 1997 Hong Kong handover.

Wong is now a vocal figure in the anti-extradition protests currently taking place.

“I’m not saying everyone should be Joshua Wong or follow my journey. But at least it proved that activism is not just related to experienced politicians or well-trained activists who have been working for NGOs; it can also be students and high-schoolers,” Wong has said.

Directed by Joe Piscatella, the documentary follows Wong and the Scholarism organization as they push back against the erosion of the Chinese Communist Party’s promise of autonomy to Hong Kong. 

The free film will be screened on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Guggenheim Performance Hall at 63 Huyck Road in Rensselaerville. It is part of the Docs & Dialogues Film and Discussion Series meant to “encourage and engage community dialogue centering around important issues of the day.”

A release from the Carey Institute notes that “teenage activists are taking the world by storm:

— Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist on climate change whose campaigning has gained international recognition;

— Pakistani activist Hadiqa Bashir, who goes door to door in her community in Swat Valley calling for an end to child marriage so that girls are able to complete their education; and

— Shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez, who has been a leading voice advocating for gun control and co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD after the attack on her school, Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“These young activists refuse to wait until they are old enough to vote; they are making a stand right now. While many adults disparage these activists’ efforts as immature and idealistic, they are raising awareness, rallying support and effecting actual policy change.”

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