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.
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.
Film Festivals/Awards Sampling:
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- Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece (Fischer Audience Award; “Human Values Award”)
- London Human Rights Watch, UK
- Movies That Matter, Netherlands (Grand Jury Documentary Award - Special Mention)
- Hot Docs, Canada (Audience Award, both overall and Canadian)
- Anifilm, Czech Republic
- New York Rights Watch Film Festival, USA
- Mammoth Lakes Film Fest, USA (Audience Award and Jury Award Best International Documentary)
- Krakow Film Festival, Poland (Finalist in Oscar-qualifying International Documentary Competition)
- Doc Edge Film Festival, New Zealand (Finalist in Oscar-qualifying International Documentary Competition)
- San Francisco Documentary Festival, USA (Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Activism Award)
- Lighthouse International Film Festival, USA (Jury and Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature)
- DeadCenter Film Festival, USA (Best Documentary Feature)
- Dances With Films, USA (Audience Award Best Documentary Feature)
- Supreme Jury Prize, Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
Where to follow the film and it's journey: www.eternalspringfilm.com “Eternal Spring (長春 )” offers a heart-pounding heist based in the need for survival and social activism addressing human rights violations. By combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars) art, “Eternal Spring (長春 )” retraces this extraordinary real life event of the takeover of a Chinese TV station on its 20th anniversary, bringing 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. When we stand against injustice and speak up no matter the cost, we will affect the change we want to see in the world.
Canada’s official entry into the international feature film category for the 2023 Oscars, “Eternal Spring (長春 )” is gearing up for the rapidly approaching US theatrical release. Having begun the films Canadian theatrical in September, the film begins its official theatrical release in the United States with a week-long exclusive at New York’s prestigious Film Forum which started this past Friday, October 14th (which was extended due to incredible audience response), before expanding nationwide to more than 50 markets this coming Friday, October 21st. Markets where tickets are available for purchase beginning on October 21st for the expansive roll out include: Los Angeles, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chattanooga, Columbus, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Nashville, New York, New Haven, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego, Tallahassee, Tampa, Baltimore, Tulsa and Washington D.C, among others.
“Eternal Spring (長春)” is a multiple award winner, having won the Hot Docs Audience Award for best film and the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian film, among many others (truly they'd won at nearly every international film festival where they have screened to sold-out crowds). 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.”