AC Films producer
Directed and written
by Andy Cohen
Co-Directed and written
by Gaylen Ross
Directed and written
by Andy Cohen
Co-Directed and written
by Gaylen Ross
Synopsis:
Hidden 16mm Film Footage Revealed for the First Time after 40 Years
After the police forcefully shut down the Stars confrontational art show hung on a park fence, and arrest activist Wei Jingsheng for posting an essay on Democracy Wall, thousands of citizens take to the streets near Tiananmen Square, marching in protest and demanding the right to free speech—the first such demonstration since the Communists seized power. The authorities, provoked and threatened by the foreign media attention, close Democracy Wall, imprison another editor Xu Wenli for over 15 years, and force most of the Stars group (including a young Ai Weiwei) into exile. Recording it all is a daring young filmmaker named Chi Xiaoning. Hidden for decades, footage from these daring acts of rebellion are now featured in Beijing Spring for the first time ever.
Selections & Awards:
Fifa Montréal - Jury Award Winner
Dart Barcelona - Best International Documentary
Lonely Wold Studio - Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Editing, Archival Usage & Assembly
Lonely Wold Studio - Best Feature Documentary
Austin International Art Festival - Best Feature Documentary
FIFDH / Geneva, CH / 2021
M+ Cinema Disrupted program / Hong Kong / 2021
Censurados Film Festival / Lima, PE / 2021
EPOS International Art Film Festival / Tel Aviv, IL / 2021
Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival / Tokyo, JP / 2021
Heartland International Film Festival/ Indianapolis / 2021
Awareness Festival / Los Angeles/ 2021
Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival / Los Angeles / 2021
Festival Internacional Cinema e Transcendencia / Brasilia / 2021
Dart / Barcelona / 2021 - Best International Documentary Award
Beirut Art Film Festival / Beirut / 2021
Lo Schermo dell’Arte / Florence /2021
St-Louis International Film festival / St-Louis/ 2021
Leeds International Film Festival / Leeds /2021
Aesthetica Films Festival / York /2021
Festival des Libertés / Brussels /2021
Film’s website