by Andy Cohen, Gaylen Ross, USA 2021, 100'
| FILMING: Julien Roby, Robert Richman, Matt Yue, Eddie Marritz, Hagger, Mitch Blummer, Gregory Brutus | MUSIC: Matt Clifford, Damian Lazarus, Zhou Yunpeng | |
| EDITING: Andrew Ford | PRODUCERS: Andy Cohen, Gaylen Ross, Constance Le Maré | |
| SOUND: Edward O’Connor, Han Zhichao, Peter Ginsburg, Vincent Rouffiac, XIang Chen, Peter Miller | PRODUCTION: AC Films | |
| LANGUAGE: vo: Mandarin; sub: Italian, English |
Presented at the 14th edition of Lo schermo dell'arte, 2021Interviews and archival materials that escaped the Chinese censorship in the last forty
years tell the history of The Stars group of artists, formed in Beijing in the late 70s, during
what became known as the Beijing Spring. Their words are intertwined with Chinese history
from 1966 to the Eighties: the rise of Mao Tsé-Tung, the failure of the Cultural Revolution
and the regime of censorship and surveillance. The Beijing Spring began with the death of
Mao, when the artists posted a series of texts and posters denouncing crimes committed
by the Red Guards on the so-called Democracy Wall, near Tiananmen Square. Thanks to the
initiative of Ma Desheng and Huang Rui, The Stars group was born which came to involve
about fifteen painters and sculptors, including the young Ai Weiwei, and gained attention for
having organized an independent exhibition exhibited outside the Beijing National Gallery.
Through the use of unpublished 16mm films shot by filmmaker Chi Xiaoning, directors Andy
Cohen and Gaylen Ross tell how art and literature have played a central role in affirming
freedom of expression at a difficult moment in Chinese history.
ANDY COHEN
He is an independent filmmaker and journalist. He has produced and directed documentaries that have won numerous awards. He has participated in festivals, including: Venice Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival; Sundance; Berlinale.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2019 Ximei 2017 Human Flow 2016 Hooligan Sparrow 2012 Never Sorry; The World Before Her