Human rights become profoundly personal when dissident artist Ai Weiwei's monumental exhibition on Alcatraz inspires thousands of visitors to connect with prisoners of conscience worldwide.

Interview with Producers Cassandra Jabola and Christy McGill

Watch Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly on iTunes and Prime Video

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

CHRISTY: Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly was the brainchild of the director, Cheryl Haines, who worked closely with the artist Ai Weiwei to bring to life the ambitious exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz, a monumental exhibition of new artworks addressing the struggle for fundamental human rights. She then got the idea to follow the story of the postcards that had been sent around the world to prisoners of conscience from visitors to the exhibition. The journey became one of discovery -- how had this artwork inspired individuals to send messages of support, what happened when they were received? The film was really birthed at that point and new production began.

CASSANDRA: In making this film, Cheryl wanted to tell the story of how a simple act of kindness between strangers has an impact on both the sender and receiver’s lives. This simple act of kindness is visitors to Ai Weiwei’s @Large exhibition writing postcards with messages of hope and support to prisoners of conscience currently incarcerated around the world. The film demonstrates the positive effect this interactive art exhibit has on both the people sending the postcards as well as the prisoners receiving them. It demonstrates the power of art to connect people in a profound yet simple way.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

CHRISTY: If you are someone fascinated by artists, their processes, their backstories, and drawn to stories about human rights, this film is for you. And if you are as interested in the work and life of Ai Weiwei as we are, you know why you’re there!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

CHRISTY: In our doc, we explore the universal power of art and of a simple gesture made by a single person. The powerful acts of empathy as illustrated by the thousands of supportive postcards written by visitors to the Alcatraz exhibition to those unjustly incarcerated personalizes human rights. There are thousands of prisoners of conscience all over the globe right now-- and in our own country-- fighting for the basic human rights and freedom of expression that we all cherish.

CASSANDRA: Ai Weiwei’s father, Ai Qing, was a prisoner of conscience during China’s Anti-Rightist campaign. He was imprisoned for his poetry, which reflected concern for the common people. While at the labor camp, he received a postcard from a stranger which celebrated the anniversary of one of his famous poems. Ai Weiwei saw how this moved his father and applied this idea to his exhibition on Alcatraz. He saw the power one postcard had on his father and was able to share this with thousands of visitors to the exhibition and 116 prisoners of conscience worldwide.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

CASSANDRA: The film was edited over the course of almost a year. It has a three-act structure and changed both through paper editing of the script as well as edit sessions with our collaborative team. The story we are trying to tell about both the inception and making of the art exhibition, as well as the stories of the prisoners of conscience has remained throughout. But the edit has evolved to tell the story in the clearest and most emotionally impactful way, while artfully and skillfully using archival material, our originally shot footage, and powerful interviews.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

CHRISTY MCGILL: It’s been pretty amazing—we’ve screened the film for select preview audiences and the impact of the stories of prisoners of conscience has felt pretty palpable.

CASSANDRA: We had private feedback screenings at the rough cut and fine cut stages of our film, where we received feedback from our trusted colleagues in the documentary field. The overall reactions were positive. People were moved by the film and stories told. But we also got valuable feedback on how to better tell the story in the edit, and how to work through certain structural issues.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

CASSANDRA: We are always pleasantly surprised by how moved viewers are when watching the film. It has made us feel like it will have the impact it’s meant to have and we are doing the story justice.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

CHRISTY: We are eager to build our community and spread the message of hope and urgency that the film delivers.

CASSANDRA: We are excited to be featured alongside other up and coming social impact films. We hope to be connected with new audiences who otherwise may not have heard about our film, and with potential collaborators. We are also glad to have our first-time director, Cheryl Haines, featured along with other female and first-time directors.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

CHRISTY: We welcome a variety of potential partners as we prepare for this film’s world premiere. We wish to bring to broad audiences and amplify its impact.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

CHRISTY: We would love to continue to raise awareness of the human rights urgency surrounding prisoners of conscience.

CASSANDRA: Many feel like they cannot participate in social justice because we’re often trying to do big things like fight climate change or end wars. We’d like people to come away from our film with the idea that they (each and every individual) have the power to effect change - not by moving mountains - but just by small, simple acts of kindness from one person to another.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

CHRISTY: What are the costs and risks associated with freedom of speech? How can individuals help keep the pressure on those governments suppressing basic human rights?

CASSANDRA: Does art have the power to affect social change in big ways and small ways? How does art affect both the artist and the viewers receiving the art?

Would you like to add anything else?

CHRISTY: A big thank you for talking with us!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

CHRISTY: It seems like everyone has something exciting on various burners. Our editor and co-director, Gina Leibrecht, is working on an amazing documentary about her mentor, the late, legendary documentary pioneer Les Blank. Fellow producer Cassandra Jabola is producing a documentary about the first female president of Taiwan's tightrope walk between the US and China, as she defines and defends her country's vibrant democracy. I’m developing a couple of documentary projects in the music history space.

Interview: April 2019

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

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly

Human rights become profoundly personal when dissident artist Ai Weiwei's monumental exhibition on Alcatraz inspires thousands of visitors to connect with prisoners of conscience worldwide.

Length: 1:16

Director: Cheryl Haines

Producer: Cassandra Jabola, Christy McGill

About the writer, director and producer:

Director CHERYL HAINES is the founding executive director of the FOR-SITE Foundation, the curator of @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz, and the driving force in securing the location for that landmark exhibition. For over thirty years, Haines has developed exhibitions and site-specific public programs that expose new audiences to contemporary art and advanced the discourse on art about place. Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is her directorial debut.

Producer CASSANDRA JABOLA is a documentary film and television producer with a background in broadcast journalism. Her credits include: All Eyes and Ears; Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution; CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap; and Heaven Adores You.

Producer CHRISTY MCGILL is a documentary film producer, creative director, consultant, and writer whose credits include the feature documentaries Serenade for Haiti, and Ghostbird.

CASSANDRA JABOLA and CHRISTY MCGILL are seasoned, award-winning documentary film producers whose combined work has been released theatrically, enjoyed robust international film festival appearances and been broadcast and distributed on various television and digital platforms such as PBS, HBO, and Netflix. They share a commitment to projects that advance a better understanding of human rights, awareness of social justice, and a love and appreciation for the arts.

Key cast: Ai Weiwei, Ahmed Maher, Chelsea Manning, John Kiriakou

Looking for: distributors, buyers, sales agents, film festival directors, journalists

Facebook: Yours Truly

Twitter: @YoursTrulyDoc

Instagram: @yourstrulydoc

Hashtags used: #yourstrulydoc

Website: www.yourstrulyfilm.com

Made in association with: FOR-SITE Foundation

Funders: FOR-SITE Foundation

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? San Francisco International Film Festival / Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco - Sunday, April 14th, 7:30pm