Al Weiwei: Never Sorry
Autumn 2012 Documentary series
November 7, 2012 at 7:00pm
Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS
Directed by Alison Klayman
Screenplay by Alison Klayman
Starring Ai Weiwei, Ying Gao and Danqing Chen
Rated 14A ·
1h 31m
USA
English and Mandarin with English subtitles
Al Weiwei: Never Sorry
Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people 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.
Al 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. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.
“Sometimes, as a film-maker, you just need to be in the right place at the right time. Alison Klayman, an American freelance journalist working in China, was Johnny on the spot, and her documentary about artist-activist Ai Weiwei has, through Ai’s own rocketing international profile, become an essential portrait of a key contemporary figure…Klayman’s sensitive documentary is an essential account of the Chinese artist-activist’s rise to international fame.” (Andrew Pulver, The Guardian)