Film on Manila hostage crisis sparks debate over ‘secondary trauma’ in Hong Kong
‘Beyond Hostage Crisis’, set to open in Hong Kong next month, draws mixed reactions, with some raising trauma concerns and others defending it
A Hong Kong film adapted from the 2010 Manila hostage crisis, which led to the deaths of eight Hongkongers, has stirred online debate, with some questioning whether it could cause “secondary trauma” and others saying it offers lessons from the past.
Titled Beyond Hostage Crisis, the film was released in Malaysia in April and is set to open in Hong Kong on May 28.
Information about the 90-minute film starring newly crowned Hong Kong Film Awards best actress Fish Liew Chi-yu is available on the MCL Cinemas website.
The plot is based on the August 23, 2010 hostage crisis, in which a 55-year-old former police officer armed with an M-16 rifle hijacked a tour bus carrying 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos in Manila.
He demanded reinstatement and later released nine people during negotiations, including two Filipinos.
After a 12-hour siege, seven Hong Kong tourists and the tour guide were killed, while seven survived. The gunman was later found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.