Estonian premiere

Eternal Spring

Local title
Igavene kevad
Director
Jason Loftus
Country
Canada
Year
2022
Programme
Doc@PÖFF
Subject
human rights

In March 2002, a state TV station in China was hijacked by members of outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal was 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.

Canada nominated the film for the Oscar for the Best International Film.

Director
Jason Loftus
Screenwriter
Jason Loftus
Producer
Jason Loftus
DoP
John Tran
Editor
David Schmidt
Composer
Tom Hill
Animation
Daxiong, David St-Amant
Production
Lofty Sky Pictures
World sales
The Film Collaborative
Runtime
Language
English, Chinese
Subtitles
English
Other festivals
Zurich

Screenings

Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu
Screening042201 / Igavene kevad
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
7th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening040504 / Igavene kevad
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
3rd Hall Apollo Kino Solaris
Screening111204 / Igavene kevad
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer