ETERNAL SPRING (長春)
When members of Falun Gong hack China's state TV to expose repression, lives are changed forever. Filmmaker Jason Loftus and celebrated comic artist Daxiong tell the resilient story of those fighting for religious freedom in this vivid and stirring hybrid documentary.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Jason Loftus
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I got to know the artist at the center of this film, Daxiong, when we were collaborating together on a kung-fu video game called Shuyan Saga. He had a remarkable story about what led him to flee his home in Northeast China, and it was tied in with this dramatic hijacking of the state TV airwaves by a group of persecuted Falun Gong adherents. I had an existing interest in the subject and a concern for the human rights situation. My wife and producing partner, Masha, is from the city where the story takes place, but as the daughter of a government official, she'd been sheltered from dissident and persecuted groups there. It really hit home for her.
We felt this story spoke to themes of freedom of belief and freedom of speech, which are important. Also, there was a really unique opportunity to explore the story through this artist's point of view, to follow him as he seeks to understand an event that upended his life by recreating the event artistically. This had the potential to showcase the role that art can play in bringing understanding and healing, which was very interesting to me.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film has appealed to those concerned about human rights and freedoms in China, but it's much broader than that. It's a story about the courage that is often required to speak out in the face of injustice, and it provides a unique lens into how the artistic process can help bring catharsis and closure.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The story focuses on an artist tracing his past and connecting, through his artistic creations, with individuals behind the TV hijacking in his hometown. It's a specific event that took place twenty years ago, but people frequently comment on how timely the film is. I believe this is because the ideas at play are universal. Atrocities and major human rights abuses are frequently underpinned by a narrative that justifies the behavior. Narrative can be used to paint another group of people as threatening, deserving of mistreatment, etc. And speaking out in the face of such a narrative can be difficult. This is of course an extreme case of that. But I think we all face this struggle to say and do what's right when it isn't easy, and so this story touches people for that reason.
The other aspect is that when we pour ourselves into a creative endeavour, we can grow and change through that process. So displaying Daxiong's own growth in coming to terms with his trauma, and having that play out through his art, I think really resonates with people. It adds a layer to the artistic creations we see on screen, and it speaks to the power that art has. This is something many of us feel.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We set out to do something different with Eternal Spring. We wanted to capture in live-action documentary footage the process of creating the animated portions of the film. This allowed us to add a new dimension to the story, but it also presented unique challenges. Normally in animation, you have the script locked, storyboards locked, etc., before you begin any animation because animation is very time-consuming and expensive, especially for a small team. Because we set out to capture the creative process as it played out, it meant we were animating scenes while we were still shooting the traditional documentary component, and we didn't know where those scenes would play in the film, or even if for sure they would be part of it. This required a bit of a leap of faith.
It took some time to figure out how this balance was going to work, and how we would transition from the live-action into animation, and make it feel organic and natural. But we had a general sense of what we wanted to do, and so we kept chipping away until we felt we'd finally figured it out.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has received 15 festival honors since March, including both top audience prizes at Hot Docs. It was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award. In August it was selected as Canada's official submission to the 2023 Academy Awards in the best international feature category. It then also qualified in both the documentary feature and animated feature categories.
In short, the response to the film has been outstanding. But more important than the awards and accolades, having travelled with the film at festivals around the world, I've been deeply touched to see people connect with this story on a deep level, and to appreciate what we've done here.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It took us close to six years to make this film, and honestly, I really didn't know what to expect. The first screening was in Greece at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. When the screening finished, the crowd was silent and I didn't know what they thought. But then I realized they were processing the material on a very deep level. The Q&A was so engaged, and even after they had to kick us out of the cinema, the crowd continued to approach me in the lobby to discuss.
Some said they had been shaking through the film, or that it may have been the best documentary they'd ever seen. I did not expect this reaction by any stretch. But I had been deeply touched by this story myself, and what I had set out to do was to convey what had affected me in a way that an audience could connect with it in a 90-minute experience.
I cannot say how inspiring it was to receive this kind of reaction, right from the start. I don't know if this is challenging my point of view per se, but I have seen through this how universal some of the issues in the film are. I know they touched me, but many people have seen something in this story that relates to their own experiences or concerns.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope the film can shine a light on some ongoing human rights concerns in China. Specifically, that's with respect to the persecution of Falun Gong, which is continuing and has not received much attention, and also broadly with the repression of religious freedom more broadly as evidenced by the treatment of Uighurs, Tibetan Buddhists, and others. I also hope those who don't have a particular interest in these human-rights issues can still take something away from this film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are always looking for resources and support on our impact campaign. We would like to have more people in Chinese communities see the film. At the same time, though we have a sales agent and deals in place for some very key markets, we're still looking for partners who can help bring the film to more people. As I write this, it's still award season and I would be happy to speak with journalists about the film and these subjects.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that it can shine a light on a community that is poorly understood in the West. I think it's important to hear people speak for themselves, especially when they've been subject to persecution and slander. I hope people can be aware of religious freedom and freedom of speech issues in China, and I hope that more people recognize how important it is for us to be able to speak about these issues and support those who are standing up for freedom.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Here are three: What kind of abuses are possible when very powerful entities have control of all or most of the narrative? Why is it important to hear different points of view, even if it challenges what we think we know about someone or some group? How can we build more understanding between people who might have different beliefs from our own?
Would you like to add anything else?
Follow our journey more at eternalspringfilm.com or on social at @loftyskydocs. We're a very small team and I frequently respond to messages myself when I'm able to. But our team really appreciates hearing from people who resonate with the themes in our film.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
My production company, Lofty Sky, works across a variety of mediums. We're currently finishing our next narrative video game series, producing a new short-form sci-fi animated series, and some VR projects, including one related to Eternal Spring. At the same time, I'm taking a lot of time to share and talk about this film during its theatrical and festival run.
Interview: December 2022
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
ETERNAL SPRING (長春)
When members of Falun Gong hack China's state TV to expose repression, lives are changed forever. Filmmaker Jason Loftus and celebrated comic artist Daxiong tell the resilient story of those fighting for religious freedom in this vivid and stirring hybrid documentary.
Length: 1:25:33
Director: Jason Loftus
Producer: Jason Loftus
Writer: Jason Loftus
About the writer, director and producer:
A Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, and four-time Canadian Screen Award nominee, JASON LOFTUS's work spans documentary, VR, games, and animation. His feature directorial debut, Ask No Questions, premiered at Slamdance in 2020. His follow-up film, Eternal Spring (長春), won both top audience prizes at Hot Docs, was nominated for an IDA Documentary Award, and is Canada's official submission for the 2023 Oscars. It is contending for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Key cast: Daxiong, Liang Zhenxing, Liu Chengjun
Looking for: journalists, buyers
Facebook: Lofty Sky Docs
Twitter: @loftyskydocs
Instagram: @loftyskydocs
Hashtags used: #EternalSpring #oscars2023 #animation #documentary #internationalfilm
Website: eternalspringfilm.com
Funders: Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates, Telefilm Canada, Sodec (Quebec)
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Palm Springs International Film Festival - January 9, 10, 11