ONE WEEK ABOUT Kaboom Animation Festival
The annual Kaboom Animation Festival – from 13 to 22 March in Utrecht, Amsterdam and online – presents the latest, most creative, innovative and daring national and international animation productions with the theme ‘Human Touch’. Over the coming days, we will be showcasing a number of the Dutch participants, today Jan-Dirk Bouw.
Breaking Walls
Journalist and activist Hoi Yi fights against the ever-growing global rise of surveillance and censorship, while suppressing his queer identity from his family. The personal repression he faces is reflected in his commitment to the freedom of others.
When Hoi Yi speaks at a conference on freedom of expression, he radiates determination. But behind his public fight lies a personal struggle. As a queer man, he lives between two worlds: the openness of his life in the Netherlands and the secrets he keeps from his family in China. While helping Iranian journalists bypass censorship, his own life is slowly falling apart.
Back in Amsterdam, Hoi is confronted with the official divorce from Mei-Lan, the arranged marriage they entered into for the sake of their families, has come to an end. Fred, his partner, expects that he will finally be introduced to Hoi’s family in China, something Hoi keeps putting off. This deepens the emotional distance between them.
Directors statement
From the moment I met Hoi Yi, I was struck by his story. Growing up in China, Hoi struggled with cultural and familial expectations, leading him to suppress his queer identity.
His experience deeply resonated with my own history of repression, from the Catholic Church and patriarchal family patterns to toxic masculinity in early creative environments. Like Hoi, I had to confront self-censorship and that process eventually brought a form of catharsis: ultimately learning to embrace my queer identity.
Breaking Walls is not only Hoi’s story to me, but also a universal tale about the search for freedom within repressive systems. At a time when conservative and (hetero)normative forces are gaining strength, and democracy and people are under threat, I see this film as a powerful plea for diversity, inclusivity, and visibility for all those who face (self-)censorship and surveillance. Like Hoi, I too try to break barriers, seeking space for expression, freedom and authenticity.
