Runtime: 75 minutes | Year: 2024 | Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese with English subtitles
SCREENINGS
- World Market Premiere – February 19, 2024, Berlinale European Film Market, Germany
- World Premiere – May 3, 2024, VC Film Fest (Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival), California
- International Premiere – June 28, 2024, Doc Edge Festival (Oscar-qualifying), New Zealand
- New York Premiere – August 10, 2024, Asian American International Film Festival
- European Market Premiere – November 16-20, 2024, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Docs for Sale, Netherlands
- Washington, D.C. Premiere – February 15, 2025, D.C. Independent Film Festival
- Human Rights Foundation Screening – February 2, 2025, Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film, New York
- Zephyr Society Screening – March 29, 2025, Manhattan, New York
- Star Shiner Initiative Screening – May 3, 2025, San Jose State University, California
- June 4th 36th Anniversary Screening – May 13, 2025, Toronto, Canada
- New England Premiere – May 17, 2025, Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston, West Newton Cinema
- Liberty Sculpture Park Screening – June 2, 2025, Los Angeles, California
INTERNATIONAL SALES
International enquiries outside North America (TV rights, festivals, screenings, educational, airlines, etc.), please visit www.javafilms.fr/film/dissidents or contact Java Films at contact@javafilms.tv.
EDUCATIONAL SALES
We work with GOOD DOCS on educational distribution in North America. If you are interested in screening the film for an institution, please visit www.gooddocs.net or contact GOOD DOCS directly at outreach@gooddocs.net for more information.
SYNOPSIS
From harassing relatives back home to disrupting protests and spying on critics in other countries, China is one of the most aggressive governments in targeting dissidents abroad. We follow three dissidents in America as they continue their fight for democracy.
Juntao Wang, a primary organizer of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and one of the world’s most renowned Chinese dissidents, has led the Democratic Party of China for more than a decade from the New York headquarters. But wherever he goes, pro-Beijing mobs often follow. While showing support for Taiwan’s democracy, his group is violently attacked.
Artist Weiming Chen, who criticises the Chinese government through his sculptures, has been spied on and has his work burnt down. Meanwhile asylum seeker, Chunyan Wang, forced into exile after her house was appropriated by the Chinese government, is constantly surveilled. She takes her protest directly to the Chinese Vice Premier during the U.S.- China trade talks. But her attempts to hand him a petition lead to her being arrested and charged with a criminal case, facing 10 years of imprisonment if found guilty.
Combining intimate observational footage, rich archival materials and an investigative approach, the film reveals the extent to which Chinese repression extends beyond its borders.
CHARACTERS
REVIEWS
“Three Minutes With…”, Politico, May 8, 2025
“Let Freedom Ring, All Ye Who Enter Here,” Asian CineVision, July 19, 2024
“Inside one filmmaker’s push to document the stories of Chinese dissidents,” The Yappie, June 28, 2024
“Compelling festival documentary reveals lives of Chinese dissidents,” Star News, June 17, 2024
“Compelling documentary reveals lives of Chinese dissidents in the US,” Radio New Zealand, June 16, 2024
“Director Yi Chen Highlights the Dangers of Activism in ‘Dissidents’,” Character Media, May 21, 2024
FUNDERS
- New York Foundation for the Arts
- Open Society Foundations
- DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
- Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
FISCAL SPONSOR
Donations are tax-exempt through the Center for Independent Documentary: https://www.documentaries.org/films/dissidents.
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