In March 2002, a state TV station in China is hijacked by members of outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice. In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea. Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.
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Festival Appearances
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2022 – Audience Award
Human Rights Watch Film Festival, London 2022
Hot Docs 2022 – Audience Award for Best Documentary
Krakow Film Festival 2022
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Jason Loftus
A Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and four-time Canadian Screen Award nominee, Jason’s work spans documentary, docu-series, virtual reality, narrative games, and animation. He produced the docu-series on Chinese cuisine, Confucius Was a Foodie (2017–2019), which was named Best Food Series on TV at the 2021 Taste Awards. It aired in over 100 territories worldwide, including on PBS stations across the US, and on NatGeo People Asia.
Jason’s directorial debut – Ask No Questions (2020) – a documentary feature co-directed with Eric Pedicelli, premiered in competition at Slamdance in 2020. It won the Copper Wing (Best World Cinema) at the Phoenix Film Festival, was endorsed by artist Ai Weiwei, and was nominated by Film Threat as 2021’s Best Socially Relevant Documentary. Eternal Spring is Jason’s second documentary feature as director.
Fri, 4 Nov | 5:35 pm | Picture Time 2