Yi Chen Photo: Supplied
The Doc Edge Festival is kicking off in Aotearoa from 19 June starting in Ōtautahi Christchurch. It’ll make its way to Auckland and Wellington before going online nationwide. With 66 local and international films and 28 digital immersive events and installations, there’s a plethora of projects for audiences to soak up.
Dissidents by Washington DC based filmmaker Chen Yi is a film following three exiled Chinese activists who continue to fight for a democratic China and pursue justice while living in America.
Despite his sculptures being burned down or stolen, Chen Weiming, a human rights artist who works at Liberty Sculpture Park in the Mojave Desert in California, continues with his activism. Chen emigrated from China to New Zealand in 1988 and is now a permanent resident of both New Zealand and the US.
Dissidents Photo: Supplied
Wang Juntao is considered one of the world’s most renowned dissidents having been a leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He’s been accused of being one of the ‘black hands’, served time in prison and leads the Democratic Party of China from New York.
Asylum seeker, Wang Chunyang, lives outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC fighting for justice after being forced from her home in China.
This compelling observational documentary uses archival footage, personal interviews and an investigative style to reveal transnational repression and dangers for the three individuals.
Director Chen Yi spoke to Culture 101’s Perlina Lau about the experience of making the documentary, the risks and the unexpected challenges.
