Netflix's original documentary on the Hong Kong teenage activist Joshua Wong titled
JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER will open on Friday, May 26th. The film is directed by Joe Piscatella.
When the Chinese Communist Party alters its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong - handed back to the Chinese government from British rule in 1997 - teenager Joshua Wong decides to fight for his homeland. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, and without a long-term plan but with passion to spare, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong. A remarkable portrait of courage, resilience, and the propulsive power of youthful idealism, JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER, the winner of this year's Audience Award at the
Sundance Film Festival, is a chronicle of one young man risking his own future for a greater good.
About Subject/Activist Joshua Wong: Joshua Wong is a Hong Kong student activist who serves as secretary general of Demosist?, the center-left, pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong established in 2016. The party advocates a referendum to determine Hong Kong's sovereignty after 2047, when the One Country, Two System principle in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong Basic Law is suppose to expire. He is also the founder of the Hong Kong student activist group Scholarism, a group known for its stance on defending the autonomy of Hong Kong's education policy from Beijing's unconstitutional interference. Internationally known for his prominent role during the 2014 "Umbrella Revolution", Joshua's major influence in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement has resulted in his inclusion in TIME's Most Influential Teens of 2014, nomination for TIME's Person of the Year 2014 and recognition by FORTUNE as one of the world's greatest leaders of 2015.
About Director Joe Piscatella: Joe Piscatella has, since graduating from the graduate writing program at USC, written for a host of television, film, radio and print projects. His first feature documentary, #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator, has been seen in more than 60 countries. He was also an executive producer on the documentary Finders Keepers, which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival in 2015.
In addition to his directing work, Piscatella has written numerous feature scripts and television pilots for 20th Century Fox, Spyglass and Touchstone Television. His credits include Disney's Underdog, Warner Bros.' "Ozzy & Drix" and NBC's "Stark Raving Mad."
The filmmaker graduated from Georgetown University. After a tryout as a punter in the Canadian Football League, he began his writing career as a speechwriter in Washington, D.C., where he wrote jokes for clients such as executives at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and high-ranking personnel in the U.S. Air Force. In addition, he interned for Ted Koppel on ABC's "Nightline."
Opens Theatrically at the
IFC Center in NY and at the Laemmle Monica in LA on May 26th
Available on
Netflix May 26th
About Netflix:
Netflix is the world's leading Internet television network with over 100 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
