75 mins |
Rated
TBC
Dissidents
Yi Chen | 2024 | 75 min| USA
International Premiere
BOOK HERE - https://docedge.nz/films/dissidents/
Not even exile is safe.
From harassing relatives back home to disrupting protests and spying on critics in other countries, China is one of the most aggressive governments in targeting dissents abroad. We follow three dissidents in America as they continue their fight for democracy.
Juntao Wang, a primary organiser of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and one of the world’s most renowned Chinese dissidents, has led the Democratic Party of China for more than a decade from the New York headquarters. But wherever he goes, pro-Beijing mobs often follow. While showing support for Taiwan’s democracy, his group is violently attacked.
Kiwi Chinese artist Weiming Chen, who criticises the Chinese government through his sculptures, has been spied on and has his work burnt down.
Meanwhile, asylum seeker, Chunyan Wang, forced into exile after her house was appropriated by the Chinese government, is constantly surveilled. She takes her protest directly to the Chinese Vice Premier during the U.S.- China trade talks. But her attempts to hand him a petition led to her being arrested and charged with a criminal case, facing 10 years of imprisonment if found guilty.
Combining intimate observational footage, rich archival materials and investigative approach, the film uncovers transnational repression by an authoritarian state targeting dissidents who are keeping the democratic flame alive during the darkest hours.
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Dissidents
Yi Chen | 2024 | 75 min| USA
International Premiere
BOOK HERE - https://docedge.nz/films/dissidents/
Not even exile is safe.
From harassing relatives back home to disrupting protests and spying on critics in other countries, China is one of the most aggressive governments in targeting dissents abroad. We follow three dissidents in America as they continue their fight for democracy.
Juntao Wang, a primary organiser of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and one of the world’s most renowned Chinese dissidents, has led the Democratic Party of China for more than a decade from the New York headquarters. But wherever he goes, pro-Beijing mobs often follow. While showing support for Taiwan’s democracy, his group is violently attacked.
Kiwi Chinese artist Weiming Chen, who criticises the Chinese government through his sculptures, has been spied on and has his work burnt down.
Meanwhile, asylum seeker, Chunyan Wang, forced into exile after her house was appropriated by the Chinese government, is constantly surveilled. She takes her protest directly to the Chinese Vice Premier during the U.S.- China trade talks. But her attempts to hand him a petition led to her being arrested and charged with a criminal case, facing 10 years of imprisonment if found guilty.
Combining intimate observational footage, rich archival materials and investigative approach, the film uncovers transnational repression by an authoritarian state targeting dissidents who are keeping the democratic flame alive during the darkest hours.