Funding cut for Hong Kong’s top theatre awards to ‘minimise’ risk of national security law breach, Arts Development Council head says

Arts Development Council chairman Kenneth Fok Kai-kong told reporters that “several causes” were behind the move to deduct part of the HK$441,700 (US$56,460) grant for the 31st Hong Kong Drama Awards ceremony held last year in June.

“[It’s about] whether we can minimise our risks involving potential violations of laws, or even the national security law, when the Arts Development Council allocates sources,” he said, but stopped short of detailing how the ceremony might have breached legislation.

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The council on Wednesday said it had decided to withhold the final instalment of the subsidy because “unusual arrangements” of the show had damaged the funding body’s reputation.

The ceremony, under the theme “courage”, featured guests such as journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling and political cartoonist Wong Kei-kwan, who uses the pen name Zunzi and whose work had received open complaints from senior government officials.

The Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies, which organises the awards, considered the city’s most prestigious for the sector, said grants for this year’s ceremony were also refused.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said it would not sponsor a venue for the event based on the council’s findings.

Fok said the assessment did not mean laws were broken, but the council had a responsibility to watch out for risks.

“I would like to emphasise that we are not a law enforcement agency, so we are not saying that a certain person, matter or language has broken the law,” he said. “We are not making such a judgement. But as an allocator of public resources, we at the council are responsible to minimise such risks.”

He said the council had already outlined its rationale in a letter sent to the federation last week, and he had personally reached out to the organisation on Thursday morning.

The proposal to trim last year’s funding was discussed at the council’s Arts Support Committee before approval from its top decision-making body.

Winton Au Wing-tung, a council member sitting on the committee, said he was unable to disclose the internal deliberations but hoped the body could clarify the decision to stakeholders.

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“I think everyone now wants to know clearly what the reason is, hoping that similar incidents will not occur in the industry in the future. This is most important,” the Chinese University of Hong Kong psychology professor told the Post.

“I believe that it was not the industry’s intention to deliberately do something to violate the objectives of the Arts Development Council.”

He added that funding applications were “competitive” and the decision to not sponsor this year’s award ceremony was “separate” from the cut to last year’s grant.

The federation will hold a press conference on Friday to provide more information about this year’s ceremony, which it said would continue despite the end to funding.

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The arts council had sponsored the awards ceremony for 24 consecutive years prior to authorities scrapping the funds this year.

Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen on Thursday said the move was a form of political censorship by “drawing a very deep red line” that would have a chilling effect on performing arts in the city. He said room for expression should be given as long as laws were not broken.

The Hong Kong Theatre Arts Practitioners Union said the move was a “serious blow” to those working and performing in theatres, which not only undermined the value of stage arts, but also dashed the hopes of the industry.

“[In an era of moving] from order to prosperity, we cannot see how prosperous a society will be when it loses the feast of stage art and culture,” the union said on its Facebook page.