Melbourne, Australia — The award-winning documentary “Eternal Spring” premiered on July 20th at Cinema Nova in Melbourne, Australia.
“Eternal Spring” was held by the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival for an almost sold-out audience.
Meanwhile, the followers of spiritual practice depicted in the film held a large candlelight vigil to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of faith.
Chinese Falun Gong practitioners have endured widespread persecution since 1999. Events are being held around the world on July 20th to raise awareness.
A Canadian-made documentary, inspired by courage and courage, combines animation and interviews to tell the story of a group of people who confront oppression in their own way.
According to the movie synopsis, a small group of Falun Gong learners attempted to hijack a television show in Changchun to break through the constant broadcast of state-sponsored propaganda. This means “eternal spring” in English.
The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Jason Loftus, and the film’s illustrations are created by Star Wars comics and Daxion, famous for his work in the DC Justice League.
Loftus said he hopes to address human rights issues in an interesting and informative way that people can connect with.
“When it comes to human rights issues, if people are just listening to the facts about suffering, and this kind of thing may be a lot for people to endure,” he told the Epoch Times.
“And I think people want to be educated, not only informed, but entertaining, and find stories that can connect and incorporate something into their lives.”
A story of courage for odds
Hijacking the Communist Chinese television station to counter false stories poses a risk to the real-life characters involved. Even today, such acts have serious consequences such as imprisonment and torture.
Driven by a desire to inform people of the truth about Falun Gong in a wave of false and disinformation, these characters ignored probabilities and successfully accomplished their mission.
But their post-mission fate highlights the harsh consequences of countering the CCP story.
George Mabroeni, an award-winning video producer and 40-year veteran in the television and corporate industry, said the Falun Gong practitioners depicted in the film thought they were “very brave.”
“It’s time for them not only to make up their minds, but to think that life isn’t going anywhere, and they’re actually ready to give up their lives to actually have their freedom,” Mavroyeni said. I told the Epoch Times.
According to Freedom House, a non-profit organization, Chinese Falun Gong practitioners are now exposed to widespread surveillance, arbitrary detention, horrific torture, and extrajudicial killings.
“We must instruct the government to speak on behalf of those who are oppressed. [in China]And the problem here [in Australia] Many people aren’t even aware that the Chinese are being oppressed, “said Mavroyeni.
“If mainstream media doesn’t publish this, in my view, our mainstream media is colluding with mainstream media in China.”
In a panel discussion hosted by film critic Peter Krause at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, Loftus said one of the main problems of persecution over the last 23 years was that people develop “secondary injuries.” rice field.
“So people move on to something, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that things have actually changed or improved there. [in China],” He said.
“The number of Uighur and Uighur Muslim arrests in northwestern China, how they are detained, and in the camps there, large-scale arrests, detentions, and their beliefs. Force abandonment of tradition.
“The persecution of Falun Gong has been going on for a long time. It does not mean that the situation has actually improved, but it is still very urgent.”
When asked about the courage of the practitioner depicted in the movie, Loftus said he resonated with the idea of plum blossoms.
“”[B]Because the flowers actually bloom when it is still winter. So even in difficult times, it means that a better time will come, or there will still be a sense of hope in it, “he said.
“”[F]Or because what I saw was the spirit of the people and the subject I saw, they still had hope, no matter what they experienced. And they still felt it was worth it in all these aftermaths. “
For tickets Cinema Nova website.. For more information on the trailer and the movie, please visit: The official website of “Eternal Spring”.
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Henry Jom is a reporter reporting on local news based in Australia. Contact him at [email protected]