Community Screening: Eternal Spring

Dir. Jason Loftus
2022, Canada, 86 min
English and Mandarin with English subtitles

Tickets sold at the door.

Please note this is a community rental screening and is not Cinematheque programming.

In March 2002, a state TV signal in China gets hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government’s 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 already 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 (長春) retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance told through harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution and incredible artistry. Eternal Spring is an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.

The film runs 86 min, followed by Q&A discussion with Director Jason Loftus.

Admission: $8 General, $5 Students & Seniors. – Tickets are sold at the theatre within 30 minutes before the film – the total number of available tickets is 85.

Eternal Spring Website: https://eternalspringfilm.com/