ETERNAL SPRING

Vilified by the state-run press in China, a band of meditators hatch a plan to counter the government’s narrative by hijacking the state TV airwaves.

 

Canada’s Official Submission to the 2023 Oscars ®. Now Available.

  • DIRECTOR

    Jason Loftus

  • PRODUCER

    Jason Loftus
    Masha Loftus
    Yvan Pinard
    Kevin Koo

  • EDITOR

    David Schmidt

  • Run time

    86 min

Facing denunciations of their banned faith in the Chinese state media, an engineer named Liang and a hulking grain worker called “Big Truck” execute a bold and perilous plan to hack into state television. 

 

In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars comics), is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. 

 

But his views about the TV hijacking are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul. Daxiong uses his art to retrace the event–bringing to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an inspiring tale of determination to speak up in the face of injustice.

“Distinctively incisive on an emotional level, the film applauds the bravery of its participants to relive a painful shared trauma and create a permanent testament of what they endured.”

Carlos Aguilar, LOS ANGELES TIMES

★★★★
“A painful, important film, made more urgent in light of China’s tightening of religious freedoms.”

Cath Clarke, THE GUARDIAN

“Vivid animation…the gritty texture of a graphic novel…PULSE-POUNDING.”

Tim Grierson, SCREEN DAILY

“The Most Surprising Documentary of the Year.”

Forbes

“ONE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES OF THE YEAR”

POV Magazine, SlashFilm, and The A.V. Club

“A breathtaking story of a struggle for freedom.”

Jury for the Hellenic Parliament Human Values Award

★★★★★
“Plays out like a great heist thriller…[an] original, moving tour de force, which deserves to be widely seen.”

Christ Knight, MONTREAL GAZETTE & NATIONAL POST

“Eye-catching…a testament to its subjects’ bravery in defying the state.”

Ben Kenigsberg, THE NEW YORK TIMES

 “ESSENTIAL…a thrilling, all-consuming film…conjures both traditional Chinese comics and Grand Theft Auto…a heartfelt journey to reconnect to the past and unearth uncomfortable, but necessary truths.”

Amil Niazi, THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“Dizzyingly superb…powerfully moving.”

Jessica Kiang, VARIETY

“A resounding success…an ultracompelling, suspense-filled investigation.”

Avoir-Alire (France)

“Powerful…a work of great beauty, both visually and narratively.”

La Estatuilla (Mexico)

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Awards

Winner

2024 Sundar Prize / Best Canadian Documentary

2023 AIB Association of International Broadcasters AIB Awards / Best Historical Documentary

2023 Social Impact Media Awards SIMA / Best Director

2023 Censurados Film Festival / ‘Tijera’ for Best Censored Film 2023

2023 Rockie Awards / Grand Jury Prize and Best Social Issues & Current Affairs Documentary

VUES SUR MER Documentary Festival 2023 /
Audience Award / Jury Special Mention

2023 Budapest International Documentary Film Festival / Audience Award

2023 Film Threat’s Award This! / Award This! Animation

2022 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards / Best Canadian Documentary

2022 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Fischer Audience Award / Best International Feature / Hellenic Parliament Human Values Awards

2022 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival / Jury Award – Best International Documentary Feature /  Audience Award – Best International Documentary Feature

2022 Hot Docs / Audience Award / Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary

2022 Movies That Matter (Dutch Premiere) / Special Mention- Grand Jury Documentary Award

2022 San Francisco Documentary Festival / Special Jury Prize – Spirit of Activism

2022 Lighthouse International Film Festival / Jury Award – Best Documentary / Audience Award – Best Documentary

2022 DeadCenter Film Festival / Best Documentary Feature

2022 Dances With Films / Audience Award / Best Documentary Feature

2022 Lunenburg Doc Fest / Best Canadian Feature Documentary

2022 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival / Supreme Jury Prize

2022 Reykjavik International Film Festival / Young People’s Jury Award

Nominations

2024 Peabody Awards / 84th Annual Peabody Nominee

2024 Canadian screen Awards / Best sound, documentary or factual

2023 50th Annie Awards / Best Writing

2023 Social Impact Media Awards SIMA / Feature Documentary

2023 38th IDA Documentary Awards / Best Writing

2023 Film Threat’s Award This! /Unreal Outsiders Documentary / Award This! Documentary

2023 Grierson Trust UK Documentary Award / Best Cinema Documentary

2023 Cinema For Peace Dove / Political Film of the Year

2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival / FIPRESCI Prize / Best Foreign Language Film

2023 47th Cleveland International Film Festival / Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Award

2022 Movies That Matter Award / Student’s Choice / Activist

2022 Movies That Matter―On Tour / Selected as October film

2022 Windsor International Film Festival / WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

2022 Stockholm Film Festival / ‘Bronze Horse’ Best Documentary

2022 Zurich Film Festival / ‘Golden Eye’ Best International Documentary Film

2022 Zurich Film Festival / Audience’s highest rated film in Documentary Competition

2022 Krakow Film Festival / International Documentary Competition Finalist

2022 DocEdge / Best International Film (Oscar-qualifying)

2022 Dokufest / Human Rights Award

2022 Future Film Festival / Films in Competition

2022 Oslo Films From The South / Doc: South Award

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