--- description: Hong Kong's young activists have been gripped by 'Winter on Fire,' an Oscar-nominated documentary about Ukraine's 2013 protests. title: The Ukrainian Movie Inspiring Hong Kong's Protests image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1746cb36a942ebd5/698a0359929fada1f5bf4f6b/gettyimages-512175284.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Hong Kong topic](/tag/hong-kong/) ## Hong Kong topic Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Hong Kong's Summer of Unrest Has Been Drawing Inspiration From Ukraine's _Winter on Fire_ ## Video: Hong Kong Protests: What's Next [Watch (HLS stream): Hong Kong Protests: What's Next](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/g5CSvWaX.m3u8) (2:39)  _Published 2019-09-05. Since June, Hong Kong has seen a summer of spiraling unrest, starting with a fight against a controversial extradition bill. It's unclear whether Beijing will intervene directly but its rhetoric and tensions in Hong Kong will continue to escalate._ by [Hillary Leung / Hong Kong](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung / Hong Kong Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 24, 2019 6:22 AM CUT  Den Tolmor (L) and Evgeny Afineevsky who made the Oscar nominated documentary "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom" attend a reception for documentary filmmakers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California on February 24, 2016. Den Tolmor (L) and Evgeny Afineevsky who made the Oscar nominated documentary "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom" attend a reception for documentary filmmakers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California on February 24, 2016.MARK RALSTON—AFP/Getty Images by [Hillary Leung / Hong Kong](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung / Hong Kong Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 24, 2019 6:22 AM CUT Just outside a Hong Kong subway station, dozens are gathered around a projector screen, transfixed. They watch footage of riot police advancing towards protestors. After 16 weeks of protests, many in the audience know this type of scene well. They are gathered — along with people at about a dozen street corners, parks and other public spaces across Hong Kong — for screenings of _Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom_, an Oscar-nominated documentary about Ukraine’s anti-government protests of 2013\. The three-month-long protest, centered on a square in the capital Kyiv, successfully toppled the country’s pro-Russia leadership. Hongkongers are drawing parallels between the Euromaidan movement, as Ukraine’s uprising was called, and their own struggle for democracy. Both were sparked by a single controversy — in Hong Kong, a detested (and now [withdrawn](https://time.com/5668232/hong-kong-extradition-bill-carrie-lam-withdraw/ "undefined")) extradition bill, in Ukraine, the president’s [refusal to sign](http://world.time.com/2013/11/21/putin-wins-again-as-ukraine-snubs-eu-keeps-opposition-leader-in-prison/ "undefined") an association agreement with the European Union. But each quickly snowballed to include much broader demands for greater political freedom. The overall political situation in the movie resonates with Hongkongers, as Kenneth Chan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University points out. “Ukrainian protestors felt that their leaders were puppets of the Russian government, in the way that many in Hong Kong see theirs as puppets of Beijing,” he tells TIME. The pace of both movements also has similarities. “The way the protests developed in Ukraine is very similar to in Hong Kong, starting out peacefully and then becoming more and more radical and extreme,” says Hansa, a 23-year-old protestor who organized a screening of _Winter on Fire_, and who, like many here, believes that Euromaidan is a case study to learn from. There are other parallels. The [white-shirted gangs](https://time.com/5631502/hong-kong-protests-triads-yuen-long/ "undefined") and other pro-government groups beating up democracy protesters in Hong Kong have incited comparisons to Ukraine’s _titushki_ — hired thugs who, _Winter on Fire_, are shown joining forces with the police. The phrase heard throughout the movie, “Glory to Ukraine,” may have even inspired “Glory to Hong Kong,” an [original song](https://time.com/5672018/glory-to-hong-kong-protests-national-anthem/ "undefined") that was produced by singers, instrumentalists and sound engineers collaborating online. Some have branded it Hong Kong’s new “national anthem.” It’s little wonder that the director of _Winter on Fire_, Evgeny Afineevsky, penned an open letter of encouragement to Hong Kong’s protestors, declaring that “hope truly lies in the hands of today’s younger generations.” Many of the city’s activists are certainly taking inspiration from Afineevsky’s work. “_Winter on Fire_ shows us that we may suffer difficulties now, but success will finally come if we insist on the fight. It inspires us to continue,” says Isaac Cheng, vice-chair of Demosisto, the political party founded by Hong Kong’s youthful democratic figurehead Joshua Wong. Some have blamed the film — with its graphic scenes of protestors burning tires and setting the city center ablaze — of radicalizing protestors. In a recently published op-ed pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip [wrote](https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026897/carrie-lam-has-done-all-she-can-meet-five-demands-protesters-must "undefined"): “The forces driving the widespread upheaval are complex. We have young protesters imagining themselves as agents of change, as in the documentary _Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom_.” The accusation is rebuffed by the movie’s supporters. “The focus of the film is not the violence or the rioting,” says Cheng. “It is the struggle for democracy, the care and love among protestors, and their willingness to sacrifice for their land.” Other are meanwhile quick to point out that the use of force by Hong Kong police has been relatively restrained. In Ukraine, after tear gas and rubber bullets failed to disperse protestors, police used stun grenades and live rounds, with over almost 130 deaths recorded. In Hong Kong, live rounds have only been fired in warning (although one police association is beginning to [advocate](https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1480805-20190916.htm "undefined") the use of live ammunition if officers continue to be attacked by protesters with petrol bombs). The Hong Kong movement also looks set for a longer fight. The demonstrations came to an end in Ukraine after 93 days, when the country’s unpopular president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled to Russia and general elections were announced. Protests in Hong Kong have meanwhile surpassed their hundredth day and show no signs of abating. Perhaps Hong Kong’s summer of unrest will turn into its own winter on fire. “Hongkongers need to be prepared,” a 38-year-old protestor tells TIME. “This is going to be a long, uphill battle.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5682003/winter-on-fire-hong-kong-protests-ukraine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5682003/winter-on-fire-hong-kong-protests-ukraine/"},"headline":"Hong Kong's Summer of Unrest Has Been Drawing Inspiration From Ukraine's Winter on Fire","datePublished":"2019-09-24T06:22:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T07:24:38.471Z","description":"Evgeny Afineevsky's Oscar-nominated documentary \"inspires us to continue,” one Hong Kong activist says","url":"https://time.com/5682003/winter-on-fire-hong-kong-protests-ukraine/","keywords":["Hong Kong topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1746cb36a942ebd5/698a0359929fada1f5bf4f6b/gettyimages-512175284.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Hillary Leung / Hong Kong"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1746cb36a942ebd5/698a0359929fada1f5bf4f6b/gettyimages-512175284.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-ENTERTAINMENT-OSCAR","caption":"US-ENTERTAINMENT-OSCAR","creditText":"MARK RALSTON—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/hong-kong/","name":"Hong Kong topic"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5682003/winter-on-fire-hong-kong-protests-ukraine/","name":"Hong Kong's Summer of Unrest Has Been Drawing Inspiration From Ukraine's Winter on Fire"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Hong Kong Protests: What's Next","description":"Since June, Hong Kong has seen a summer of spiraling unrest, starting with a fight against a controversial extradition bill. 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