Widely recognized as the first artist to unflinchingly document and represent the erased years of the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution, HU Jie is one of China's most essential historians. Against great odds, he has made more than 30 documentaries in a fearless and invaluable body of work-the latest of which is the incendiary film Spark (2008-2019), more than a decade in the making. Hu Jie's lifelong oeuvre documents the culture, societal changes and systemic abuse tha... (Full plot summary below)
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Widely recognized as the first artist to unflinchingly document and represent the erased years of the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution, HU Jie is one of China's most essential historians. Against great odds, he has made more than 30 documentaries in a fearless and invaluable body of work-the latest of which is the incendiary film Spark (2008-2019), more than a decade in the making. Hu Jie's lifelong oeuvre documents the culture, societal changes and systemic abuse that led to extraordinary cases of torture, imprisonment, forced labor and murder, and is vital to understanding Chinese history and preserving the memory of the past. Featuring lush photography and revealing interviews, Rita Andreetti's sensitive portrait of the artist, The Observer (2019), explores Hu Jie's commitment, tenacity and bravery, as well as the toll that his work has taken on his personal life. Through the creation not only of films but also of woodcuts and paintings, Hu Jie continues to shine a light on the truth. Will the world's cultural gatekeepers have the same courage in showing this artwork as the man who made it?
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