Film phase:Completed
SYNOPSIS
Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous international artist and its most outspoken domestic critic. Despite strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, he expresses himself through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Alison Klayman was recently named to the list of “20 Directors to Watch” by the New York Times chief film critics’ list of international film talents under the age of 40. Numerous foundations have supported Alison’s filmmaking, including the Sundance Institute, Ford Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, and PUMA. She lived in China for four years working as a freelance journalist, and speaks Mandarin as well as Hebrew. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, and The Colbert Report to speak about her work.
NOW PLAYING
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize, and had its international premiere at Berlinale. The film has since been translated into 26 languages, with theatrical releases and television broadcasts in every major territory. In the U.S., the film aired on PBS’ Independent Lens, and was distributed in theaters by IFC Films. The film is censored in China, but the Mandarin-subtitled version is widely shared online through underground channels. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award®, and won the DuPont-Columbia University Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. It was named one of the Top Five Documentaries of 2012 by National Board of Review and nominated for two Cinema Eye Awards and a DGA Award.