Chronicle of a Summer

In the late Spring of 2016, the tension between the authority and underprivileged had escalated due to the clash happened on the Lunar New Year evening in Mong Kok between the police and the civilians.
As a result of the 2014 Umbrella Revolution, new political parties formed, based on localism, prioritising the locals. These groups has quickly rose and gained enormous support. The East New Territories by-election proved they had become an increasingly influential force on Hong Kong politics. This new blood, a voice to represent the younger generation, stormed their way into the rigid system with their pro-independence stance by winning two seats in the Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo, Hong Kong’s Parliament) election in September 2016.

The filming project started in April 2016, when Edward Leung Tin Kei (Hong Kong Indigenous) and Yau Wai Ching (Youngspirstion) announced that they would run for the LegCo election. Both political groups promote the expansion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and independence.
It documented the whole process; from their announcement to run, to meeting Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, to the banned candidacy, and then inviting a substitute candidate (Baggio Leung Chun Hang), who was successfully elected and then disqualified as a legislator.

The documentary was filmed with Cinéma Vérité, and presented in a linear timeline. It depicted a more personal side of Leung and Yau, which had never been presented under the lens of mainstream media.

Regine, Yau Wai Ching, studied Chinese Language at Lingnan University, is a member of localist group Youngspiration, leaning towards Hong Kong independence. Which was formed by young people after the Umbrella Revolution.

The group fielded nine people in the 2015 District Council Election, which Yau ran against legislator Priscilla Leung in Whampoa East . As a newcomer, Yau received 2,041 votes, only about 300 votes less than Leung.

Representing Youngspiration in the 2016 Legislative Council Election, she won the sixth and final seat in the Kowloon West geographical constituency. With 20,643 votes, Yau Wai Ching edged out incumbent Wong Yuk Man to become the youngest female member of the Legislative Council.

On 12 October 2016 in the first meeting of the session, Yau and her party colleague Baggio Leung who inserted their own words into the official script had their oaths rejected. They were criticised for pronouncing China as "Chee-na", a term considered derogatory since the Second Sino-Japanese War and Yau mispronounced "People’s Republic of China" as "people’s re-fucking of Chee-na". The controversy escalated when Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying and Secretary of Justice Rimsky Yuen unprecedentedly asked the court to disqualify the two legislators on 18 October, followed by the walkout staged by pro-Beijing camp legislators to force adjournment to block the pair from retaking their oaths on the following day.

The National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) intervened the court case by interpreting the Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong to "clarify" the provision of the legislators to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office, stating that they would firmly oppose Hong Kong independence. The interference triggered a protest on November 8, and the occupation of Kennedy Town. On November 15, the court disqualified the two legislators.

Edward, Leung Tin Kei is a spokesman Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist group formed in early 2015 advocating Hong Kong independence. He graduated from the University of Hong Kong majoring Philosophy with a minor in Politics and Public Administration.

In January 2015, Leung represented Hong Kong Indigenous to run in the New Territories East by-election of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. On February 8, the night of the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong indigenous called upon the people to come onto street in defence of the hawkers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department inspectors. The confrontation soon turned into a clash between the police and protestors, Leung and around 20 members and volunteers of the group were arrested in the incident.

Being charged of riot, he continued to run under his bailing period. At the election, he received 66,524 votes, and was 15 percent of the total votes, behind Alvin Yeung and Holden Chow. The better-than-expected result was a big boost for the localists as first time runner.

Leung intended to run again in the 2016 Legislative Council Election, but was challenged by the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC)'s new election measure to require all candidates to sign an additional "confirmation form" in the nomination to declare their understanding of Hong Kong being an inalienable part of China as stipulated in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. At first, he refused to sign the form and attempted to seek judicial review. After declined by the court for a hearing, he decided to sign the form to pledge to uphold the Basic Law but was then told his nomination was "invalidated" since the EAC returning officer did not believe Leung "genuinely changed his previous stance of independence".