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Gravitas Ventures Alex Harz’s “THE QUEST: Nepal” for TVOD/Digital Audiences Across North America Beginning on May 24th, 2022

THE QUEST Nepal - Poster

Gravitas Ventures ,  an Anthem Sports & Entertainment company, has acquired North American rights to Filmmaker, Adventurer & Host Alex Harz’s award-winning  and fascinating personal journey through the captivating & inviting culture of Nepal, including his harrowing climb of Mt. Everest in “THE QUEST: Nepal”.   Gravitas Ventures will release “THE QUEST: Nepal”  across all TVOD/Digital platforms throughout North America – beginning on May 24th, 2022, perfectly timed to International Everest Day.

Alex Approaching the South Summit of Everest

“THE QUEST: Nepal” is like combining Werner Herzog with Anthony Bourdain and a bit of Bear Grylls  on an extraordinary Quest to deeper understand and climb the most iconic mountain in the world, Everest, while unveiling the fascinating culture, history and nature of Nepal. 

International Everest Day is May 29th, commemorating the first time Everest was successfully summited on May 29th, 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, which we reference in “THE QUEST: Nepal,” since Tashi  and Harz were all alone like Hillary & Norgay were back in 1953, and because of the weird striking physical similarities between Hillary  and Harz and Norgay and Tashi.  Somehow it was just meant to be, and the film offers audiences a unique flashback to that historic moment in time.

“THE QUEST: Nepal” is like combining Werner Herzog with Anthony Bourdain and a bit of Bear Grylls  on an extraordinary Quest to deeper understand and climb the most iconic mountain in the world, Everest, while unveiling the fascinating culture, history and nature of Nepal. Become enthralled by one of the most surreal cities on earth, Kathmandu, before embarking on an expedition up the sacred valley of the indigenous Sherpa people during a spectacular 9-day trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp situated at a staggering height of 17,500 feet / 5334 meters above sea level.  Feel what life is like to climb and survive for 43 more grueling days at 17,500 feet and above as we continue our epic Quest upward to try to reach the daunting 29,032 foot / 8849  meter summit of planet earth.  From experiencing Mt. Everest like never before to witnessing remarkable rarely seen stories from one of the most unique countries in the world, “THE QUEST: Nepal” is truly a one-of-a-kind cinematic journey like no other, and one which embodies the incredible human spirit of adventure that lives inside us all.

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

View New Clip for “Escape The Field” Out on BLU-RAY/ DVD June 21, 2022

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Cast: Jordan Claire Robbins, Theo Rossi, Tahirah Sharif, Julian Feder, Elena Juatco and Shane West
Director: Emerson Moore
Writers:    Emerson Moore and Joshua Dobkin & Sean Wathen
 Producers:   Andrew Davies Gans, Michael Philip, Jason Moring, Emerson Moore
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  R
Running Time:   1 hour 28 minutes

Lionsgate presents, an Anacapa Pictures and CR8IV DNA production, in association with Ingenious Media / Double Dutch International / Glanzrock Productions / Stormchaser Films / Richmond Pictures / LipSync.

The fear is inescapable and the suspense nonstop in this gripping horror-thriller about six strangers who suddenly awaken in a remote, endless cornfield. Stripped of their possessions, they are left with only six items: a gun with a single bullet, matches, a lantern, a knife, a compass, and a flask of water. As mysterious sirens blare in the distance and traps appear at every turn, the group realizes it’s been plunged into a cat-and-mouse game with an unseen evil, and survival depends upon solving a diabolical — and deadly — puzzle.

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

"Maybe He Knows." (Credit: Lionsgate)

New Trailer for Adventure Entertainment  and a Dan Mirvish  Film “18½” 

Opens in North America on May 27th, beginning with Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles and expanding coast-to-coast on June 3rd

Director: Dan Mirvish Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy, Drama
Writers: Dan Mirvish, Daniel Moya, Daniel Moya
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2022 Limited
Original Language: English
Run time: 1h 28m
Cast: Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis Hall , Catherine Curtin , Richard Kind, Sullivan Jones, Alanna Saunders, Claire Saunders, and the legendary voices of Ted Raimi , Jon Cryer,, and Bruce Campbell

101 Films International, Bugeater Films and  Kyyba Films  with Syncopated Daydreams and Terry Keefe Media. Adventure Entertainment

The film "18½" humorously crafts its own narrative into the notorious gap in Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Taking place in 1974, "18½" is about a fictional  White House transcriber finds the only copy of the infamous 18½-minute gap in Nixon's Watergate tapes but her attempts to leak it to the press run afoul of hippies, swingers and nefarious forces. 

Director:  Dan Mirvish,
Screenplay: Daniel Moya
Story: Dan Mirvish & Daniel Moya
Cinematographer:  Elle Schneider.
Producer: Dan Mirvish, p.g.a., Daniel Moya, p.g.a. and Terry Keefe
Executive producers: Tel K. Ganesan, Ashwin T. Ganesan, Richard Schenkman and Sebastian Twardosz,
Co-executive producers: Paul Orzulak, Kyra Rogers, Elisabeth Jereski, Jarrod Phillips, Dana Altman, Frédéric Forestier. 

About Adventure Entertainment:
Sydney-based, and operating in 28 countries on 5 continents, Adventure Entertainment is making literal and metaphorical waves in the adventure film world with over 10 film touring platforms, and dozens of feature films in recent distribution. Specializing in producing live, eventized, theatrical film screenings, AE is leading the way in innovative, community-based marketing and generating pre, and post-show buzz in the entertainment industry. In addition to "Rookie Season," other 2021/22 titles include National Geographic's" Torn, " Red Bull Media House's "La Liste: Everything or Nothing, " and "Buried, ” from Oscar-winning producers Evan Hayes and Michael Sugar.
See more at   adventureentertainment.com

Runtime: 1h 28m
Director: Dan Mirvish
Writers: Dan Mirvish, Daniel Moya, Daniel Moya
Producer: Terry Keefe, Dan Mirvish, Daniel Moya
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2022 Limited
Distributor: Adventure Entertainment
Cast: Willa Fitzgerald (Amazon’s “Reacher”) , John Magaro (“First Cow”),  Vondie Curtis Hall (“Harriet”),   Catherine Curtin (Netflix’s “Stranger Things”), Richard Kind (“Argo”),  Sullivan Jones (“The Gilded Age”), Alanna Saunders, Claire Saunders, and the legendary voices of Ted Raimi (“Spider-Man”) , Jon Cryer (“Two and a Half Men”), and Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”) as President Richard Nixon
Cinematographer:  Elle Schneider.
Executive producers: Tel K. Ganesan, Ashwin T. Ganesan, Richard Schenkman and Sebastian Twardosz,
Co-executive producers: Paul Orzulak, Kyra Rogers, Elisabeth Jereski, Jarrod Phillips, Dana Altman, Frédéric Forestier. 

Gerard Damiano Sr.’s Controversial Film “Deep Throat” Returns to Cinemas for a Global Event Cinema Celebrating the 50th Anniversary

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The Zeitgeist of the Sexual Revolution and first adult film to debut in mainstream theatrical cinema breaking box office records in 1972, filmmaker Gerard Damiano Sr.’s controversial film “Deep Throat” had an unprecedented impact on popular culture and society. It changed the way we discussed sexuality and is still considered to be the most profitable film of all time.

 Damiano Films will tour the globe this year with this pop culture phenom timed to the film’s 50th anniversary for the first time in decades offering Q&As with the filmmaker’s son Gerard Damiano Jr. a filmmaker in his own right, and daughter Christar – who can offer illuminating context to the film that helped to create the Adult Film Industry, beginning with a sneak preview on June 10th, 2022, in New York. Damiano Films holds the rights to their father’s most important feature films. A documentary on “Deep Throat” director Gerard Damiano Sr. helmed by Damiano Jr. is currently in the works.

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In the summer of 1972 “Deep Throat” brought adult films into the mainstream and kick-started the Sexual Revolution. Its success was unprecedented, breaking box office records in its very first week of theatrical exhibition. Lauded as one of the first hardcore films to feature a plot, character development, and production values, it pushed the limits of what could be shown on screen and made an international celebrity of its star, Linda Lovelace. Busted by police, picketed, and banned, the ongoing persecution only added to the film’s popularity. It would help to create the Adult Film Industry and an audience hungry for feature length films with adult content. Celebrities, dignitaries, couples, and women joined the usual “raincoat crowd,” waiting in lines that wrapped around the block just to see it.

"We have succeeded in preserving our father's best known film in a complete 4K restoration so that it can be shared not only with his old fans, but with new generations. We are excited to present “Deep Throat” as a theatrical experience, the way it was originally shown, and add in-person talk backs to discuss its impact then, and its relevance today" shares Gerard Jr. of Damiano Films.

 Unsatisfied and unfulfilled, a young woman (Linda Lovelace), derives little pleasure from sex. She feels a lot of “little tingles”, but wants “Bells Ringing! Dams Bursting! and Bombs going off!” Her roommate (Dolly Sharp ) sends her to an unconventional therapist (Harry Reems), who discovers the root of her problem. Her clitoris is deep down in her throat! The solution: a technique known as “Deep Throat.” Once cured, she devotes herself to helping others to find the sexual satisfaction that she so desired. 

This light, campy, comedy was one of the first full length feature films to include hard-core sex and became an instant phenomenon. Made in 1972 for a mere $25,000, it was reported to have made over $600,000,000. It came to define what was known as “Porno Chic” reaching mainstream audiences.

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The response was not all positive. Conservative Christian groups and Anti-Porn Feminists sought to ban on the film. It was prosecuted on both local and federal levels resulting in many high-profile cases reaching all the way to the Supreme Court. “Deep Throat” became a household word and lent its name to the Watergate informant who brought down then President Richard Nixon. It enjoys a cult status today. “Deep Throat” has been referenced in all forms of popular culture from late night monologues to feature films. It has inspired songs, books, movies, musicals, even a rock opera. The acclaimed documentary “Inside Deep Throat” sought to tell the true story, while “Lovelace ” which starred Amanda Seyfried offered a fictionalized version. Burt Reynolds famously styled himself after Gerard Damiano Sr. for his appearance as porn director Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Andersons “Boogie Nights.” For those interested in booking “Deep Throat” in their markets, please contact bookings@damianofilms.com.

About Damiano Film, LLC
Noted auteur filmmaker Gerard Damiano Sr. is best known for the iconic film “Deep Throat, ” but went on to make some of the best and most critically acclaimed films of the genre. Damiano Films LLC was founded by his son Gerard Damiano Jr. and daughter Christar, to preserve their father’s legacy. They are lovingly restoring his most significant films such as “The Devil in Miss Jones, ” “Memories within Miss Aggie,” the cult classic “Let My Puppets Come,” as well as his masterpiece “The Story of Joanna.” The Damianos are joined by Robin Leonardi, daughter of legendary Porn Star and Activist Gloria Leonard. Together they represent the second generation of the pioneers of “The Golden Age of Porn.”

View Trailer for Gravitas Ventures and Emmett Adler’s Award-Winning Documentary END OF THE LINE

Gravitas Ventures logo
End of the Line

Director, Editor and Producer: Emmett Adler
Executive Producer: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer
Producers: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer
Co-Producer Mariah Wilson

End Of The Line Will Be Released On Digital And Cable On Demand Platforms In The United States On Tuesday, June 14 and VOD PLATFORMS INCLUDE: Apple/iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft and more.

Eric Adams in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Eric Adams in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)

Award-winning filmmaker Emmett Adler's feature documentary END OF THE LINE is a character-driven political drama about the New York City subway crisis and a long overdue reckoning on infrastructure. 

Establishing the vital economic importance and grandeur of New York City’s historic subway system, the film dives into its dire modern-day troubles picking up in the late 2010s when flooding, overcrowding, power failures, and derailments have become commonplace. After a particularly bad spate of disasters in the summer of 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaims a state of emergency and hires a new international wunderkind executive named Andy Byford to save the subways. Byford, an earnest Briton with an impressive resume, enters as a charismatic would-be hero.

As the political turmoil behind the subway’s decline comes into sharp focus, scenes in barbershops, bodegas, and bakeries show the frustration and devastation among business owners and residents who are caught in the middle. 

ltimately, the COVID-19 pandemic furthers this, and brings to light America’s need to shore up its infrastructure in cities across the country and the inequality struggles that are central to this debate. A heartfelt and scrupulous exploration, this film poses the question: what happens when the lifeline of a city goes flat?

VIEW NEW TRAILER BELOW!

Eternal Spring (長春)” Hot Docs 2022 Audience Award Winner for Best Picture and the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian film

Hot Docs 2022 Logo
ETERNAL-SPRING-Still-4-copyright-Lofty-Sky-Pictures

Jason Loftus latest film, the powerful animated documentary “Eternal Spring (長春)” winner of the Hot Docs Audience Award for best film and the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian film at Hot Docs 2022.

This extraordinary harmony of animation & documentary has been awarded and acclaimed across Europe in its Film Festival run thus far for its groundbreaking animation – and of particular note, has been its incredible comic-book-style animation that transports the viewer into the brave and heroic world of a group of Falun Gong practitioners. “Eternal Spring ( 長春)” with its story of survival at all costs & battle for human rights continues to draw powerful comparisons to beloved Oscar nominee “Flee.”

This Canadian film was made for theatrical (it’s in 2.39 Cinema 4K and audiences are loving it on the big screen thus far from its international film festival run). The film will next screen after Hot Docs at the New York Human Rights Film Festival on May 23 rd at Lincoln Center & May 24th at IFC Center (one of 10 official selections and the US premiere), followed on Mat 31st & June 2nd at Krakow Film Festival  (Oscar-qualifying International Documentary Competition, Polish Premiere). Private screener links available upon request for review consideration. Many many thanks for your consideration and continued support of independent film!

  • New York Human Rights Watch Film Festival, May 23 @Lincoln Center and May 24 @IFC Center
    • (one of ten official selections, US Premiere)
  • Krakow Film Festival, May 31, June 2
    • (Oscar-qualifying International Documentary Competition, Polish Premiere)

“THE STORY WON’T DIE” Will be Released Theatrically in Los Angeles at Laemmle Cinemas on Friday, June 10th and in New York at Cinema Village, on Friday, June 17

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Director: David Henry Gerson
Producer: Odessa Rae (NAVALNY)
Co-Producers: Abdalaziz Alhamza (Subject of Matthew Heineman's CITY OF GHOSTS), Colleen Ritzau Leth and Martin Marquet (EPICENTRO, THE BALLAD OF GENESIS AND LADY JAYE)
Featuring: Medhat Aldaabal, Tammam Azzam, Diala Brisly, Abu Hajar, Bahila Hijazi, Omar Imam, Lynn Mayya, Anas Maghrebi and Mhd Sabboura (BBoy Shadow)
Genre: Feature Documentary
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Run Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Country: USA/Germany

A WORLDWIDE VOD RELEASE ON MAJOR PLATFORMS WILL FOLLOW ON JUNE 21 (TIMED TO WORLD REFUGEE DAY)

VOD PLATFORMS INCLUDE: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, Vimeo + and more

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Watch Docs and many more.

WINNER! Best Director at Doc LA and Best Feature Doc at FIC Autor Guadalajara. 

ETERNAL-SPRING-Photo: Lofty-Sky-Pictures
THE STORY WON'T DIE (Photo Credit RaeFilm Studios)
THE STORY WON'T DIE (Photo Credit RaeFilm Studios)

THE STORY WON’T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since World War II. The film is produced by Sundance Award-winning producer Odessa Rae (Navalny).

Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other celebrated creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all-female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya), break-dancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam and Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war. 

DAVID HENRY GERSON is a filmmaker whose work has won prizes from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Sundance Film Festival, and has been acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NY. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the American Film Institute, where he was the recipient of the AFI Richard P. Rodgers Award for Creative Excellence. His film, ALL THESE VOICES, won the Student Academy Award®. David’s spec screenplay, ABOVE KINGS, was nominated to the Tracking Board Hit List and was a semifinalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. His documentary film ULTRA VIOLET FOR SIXTEEN MINUTES (“Totally engaging” - Al Maysles), screened at festivals worldwide, the Pompidou Museum in Paris, and was acquired into the permanent collection of the MoMA. THE STORY WON’T DIE is his debut feature.

“18½” Opens Across 50 Markets in North America on May 27th

Director: Dan Mirvish Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy, Drama
Writers: Dan Mirvish, Daniel Moya
 Cast: Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis Hall , Catherine Curtin , Richard Kind, Sullivan Jones, Alanna Saunders, Claire Saunders, and the legendary voices of Ted Raimi , Jon Cryer,, and Bruce Campbell
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2022 Limited
Original Language: English
Run time: 1h 28m

The film "18½" humorously crafts its own narrative into the notorious gap in Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Taking place in 1974, "18½" is about a fictional  White House transcriber finds the only copy of the infamous 18½-minute gap in Nixon's Watergate tapes but her attempts to leak it to the press run afoul of hippies, swingers and nefarious forces. 

About Adventure Entertainment:
Sydney-based, and operating in 28 countries on 5 continents, Adventure
Entertainment is making literal and metaphorical waves in the adventure film world with over 10 film touring platforms, and dozens of feature films in recent distribution. Specializing in producing live, eventized, theatrical film screenings, AE is leading the way in innovative, community-based marketing and generating pre, and post-show buzz in the entertainment industry. In addition to "Rookie Season," other 2021/22 titles include National Geographic's" Torn, " Red Bull Media House's "La Liste: Everything or Nothing, " and "Buried, ” from Oscar-winning producers Evan Hayes and Michael Sugar. See more at   adventureentertainment.com

END OF THE LINE Out on Digital and Cable On Demand in U.S. June 14th

POSTER-END OF THE LINE (Gravitas Ventures)

Director, Editor and Produced: Emmett Adler
Executive Producer: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer
Producers: Emmett Adler, Ian Mayer; Co-Producer Mariah Wilson
Genre: Feature Documentary
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Run time: 1 hour 5 minutes

End Of The Line Will Be Released On Digital and Cable On Demand Platforms in the United States On Tuesday, June 14 

VOD PLATFORMS INCLUDE: Apple/iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft and more.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: DOC NYC

Andrew Cuomo in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE(Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Andrew Cuomo in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE(Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Eric Adams in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Eric Adams in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)

Award-winning filmmaker Emmett Adler's feature documentary END OF THE LINE is a character-driven political drama about the New York City subway crisis and a long overdue reckoning on infrastructure. 

Establishing the vital economic importance and grandeur of New York City’s historic subway system, the film dives into its dire modern-day troubles picking up in the late 2010s when flooding, overcrowding, power failures, and derailments have become commonplace. After a particularly bad spate of disasters in the summer of 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaims a state of emergency and hires a new international wunderkind executive named Andy Byford to save the subways. Byford, an earnest Briton with an impressive resume, enters as a charismatic would-be hero.

As the political turmoil behind the subway’s decline comes into sharp focus, scenes in barbershops, bodegas, and bakeries show the frustration and devastation among business owners and residents who are caught in the middle. 

Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic furthers this, and brings to light America’s need to shore up its infrastructure in cities across the country and the inequality struggles that are central to this debate. A heartfelt and scrupulous exploration, this film poses the question: what happens when the lifeline of a city goes flat?

Cynthia Nixon in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Cynthia Nixon in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Bill de Blasio in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)
Bill de Blasio in Emmett Adler's END OF THE LINE (Photo Credit_ Gravitas Ventures)

This film is dedicated to the heroic New York City transit workers who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.

EMMETT ADLER is an Emmy-winning filmmaker who has taught art in Shenzhen, China, was once a chess champion in the state of Illinois and can juggle pins while walking on stilts. He has over a decade of experience as a freelance documentary and commercial film editor. In 2021, he made his directorial debut with the feature documentary END OF THE LINE which premiered to sold out audiences at DOC NYC film festival. 

ABOUT GRAVITAS VENTURES

Gravitas Ventures is a leading all rights  distributor  of independent  feature  films  and  documentaries. Founded  in  2006,  Gravitas  connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe.  Working  with  talented  directors  and  producers,  Gravitas  Ventures  has  distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America - over one billion homes worldwide. Recent releases include Queen Bees directed by Michael Lembeck, Our Friend directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel,Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, The Secret: Dare to Dream, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Katie Holmes; For more information, please visit www.gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.

ABOUT ANTHEM SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc.  is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto. Anthem's portfolio includes AXS TV,  a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures;  Fight Network, the world's premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world's leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNET MOVIES, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S. For more information, please visit anthemse.com .

W: www.endoftheline.doc
F: https://www.facebook.com/endoflinedoc
T: https://twitter.com/endoflinedoc
I:  https://www.instagram.com/endoflinedoc/

North American Premiere at Hot Docs 2022 Animated Doc “Eternal Spring (長春)” 

Confronted with government denunciations and human rights violations against their spiritual practice, a group of Chinese activists executes a bold and perilous plan to hack into state television. 

ETERNAL-SPRING-Photo: Lofty-Sky-Pictures
ETERNAL-SPRING-Photo: Lofty-Sky-Pictures

In March 2002, a state TV signal in China is hijacked by members of banned 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.

Screening Schedule

  • Hot Docs, May 3 @ Varsity Cineplex and May 6 @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
    (Canadian Spectrum Competition, First-time Filmmakers Competition and Audience Award eligible, North American Premiere)

ETERNAL SPRING (長春) TRAILER from Lofty Sky on Vimeo.

Director and Writer: Jason Loftus
Additional Writers: Masha Loftus, The Pearman Brothers
Producer: Jason Loftus
Producers: Yvan Pinard, Kevin Koo
Executive Producer Masha Loftus
Director of Photography John Tran, csc
Animation Director David St-Amant
Editor: David Schmidt
Lead Concept, Storyboard, and 2D Artist Daxiong
Music By Tom Hill
Casting & Voice Director for Animation Masha Loftus
Featuring: Daxiong, Jin Xuezhe ("Mr. White"), Lan Lihua ("Xiao Lan"), Wang Jianmin, Zhang Zhongyu , Wang Liansu, Wang Huilian
Animation Cast: Daxiong Himself, Jin Xuezhe "Mr. White" Henry Guo, Liang Shi Jian, Big Truck Ben Li, Little Wei Yu Feng, Zhang Wen Tan Junfeng, Lei Ming Yu Zhicheng, Liu Weiming Tony Bai, Aunt Zhou Zhang Yuhuan, Sister Chen Xiao Yanrong