Eternal Spring

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

The Q&A at 6:30pm will include: Jason Loftus (director), Masha Loftus (producer), Daxiong (film participant), Teng Biao (Human Rights lawyer), moderated by Yaqiu Wang (HRW Asia Division Senior Research).

In March 2002, a state TV station in China was hijacked by members of outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal was to counter the government 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 a 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 retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.

“History has taught Chinese people a lesson: dare to stand up to the Party, and you will suffer.”—Daxiong, film participant, ETERNAL SPRING

Photo © Lofty Sky Pictures

Screening as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2022

All cinemas are wheelchair accessible.Fully subtitled in English. Closed Captions and Audio Description available in English in-person and online. Assistive listening devices available for all screenings. Please visit individual venue websites or contact individual box offices for details and note that equipment is subject to availability. Post-screening discussions will offer CART (live transcription). 

  • Country China
  • Language In Mandarin Chinese and English with English subtitles.
  • Running Time 86 minutes
  • Distributor Human Rights Watch FF
  • Director Jason Loftus
  • Producer Masha Loftus, Yvan Pinard, Kevin Koo
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.