The Exiles

United States / Taiwan / France / China 2021, 95 min, English and Chinese, Hebrew & English subtitles

33 years ago, they stood in Tiananmen Square facing the Chinese military forces, and for a moment, dared to believe they could kick-start a democratic revolution. They have been living in exile ever since. The leaders of the 1989 nonviolent student protest had to flee China and seek asylum in the US and Hong Kong. Chinese-Korean-American filmmaker Christine Choy filmed them back then, when they were still floating on waves of euphoria. Now, after her former students found her old unfinished film, she goes to meet them again, armed with the same footage, which never saw the light of day. The meeting between the exiled ex-dreamers and the fearless eccentric documentarian evokes some intellectually and emotionally loaded conversations about belonging, family, nationality, and identity. The film won the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.

Previous Festivals: Sundance

ACRI - 50 years celebration Award Winners Cinema History Immigration International Films Panorama Unconventional: A Tribute to Christine Choy Women Directors