Documentary on Joshua Wong Surges to No. 1 on Netflix Hong Kong After Criticism

A 2017 documentary about Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has surged to the top of Netflix’s Hong Kong movie rankings after a Beijing-backed Hong Kong newspaper criticized it and local pro-Beijing lawmakers called for its removal.

“Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower,” a 78-minute documentary directed by Joe Piscatella, ranked third among movies on Netflix Hong Kong on Sept. 16 before rising to No. 1 the following day, according to streaming rankings website FlixPatrol.

The sudden surge in interest came after the film was condemned by pro-Beijing and state-owned Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po, which on Sept. 14 accused the documentary of “whitewashing Joshua Wong’s crimes” and criticized Netflix for challenging Hong Kong’s national security red lines.

The reference to national security comes as Hong Kong has operated under a Beijing-imposed National Security Law since 2020, which has significantly expanded restrictions on activities and speech that authorities deem threatening to national security.

Released nine years ago, the documentary had attracted little attention in Hong Kong until the criticism. It chronicles Wong’s role in leading the student group Scholarism against a proposed patriotic education curriculum advanced by Beijing-aligned officials and lawmakers, as well as his later involvement in the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

“Patriotic education” was a push to include pro-Chinese Communist Party propaganda in Hong Kong’s public school curriculum, and the Umbrella Movement was a pro-democracy protest movement requesting that Beijing honor its pledge to allow Hongkongers to democratically elect their leaders free from Beijing’s screening of candidates.

In the same article, Wen Wei Po reported that Hong Kong Legislative Council member Tang Ka-piu had urged the government to remove the documentary, calling for an injunction against the film and asking local telecommunications companies to block access.

Another lawmaker, Kwok Fu-wing, said the film’s availability showed that people with alleged ulterior motives were using “media, culture, and film and television” as forms of “soft resistance,” the outlet reported.

Netflix has not publicly responded to the calls for the documentary to be removed. As of Sept. 23, the film’s page remained available on Netflix Hong Kong.

Wong Behind Bars

The controversy comes as Wong, now 29, remains in custody over national security charges.

Wong was previously sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to subvert state power in connection with Hong Kong’s 2020 pro-democracy primary election. He had been scheduled for release in January 2027.