For the 19th consecutive year, the California Film Institute presents a selection of Oscar® submissions from around the world for consideration in the 2023 Academy Awards® Best International Feature Film category. For Your Consideration is a rare opportunity to watch a selection of these outstanding international films, many of which are top film festival prize winners.
CANADA’S SUBMISSION FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM • 2023 ACADEMY AWARDS®
In March 2002, a state TV signal in China gets hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice.
In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening an already violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring (長春) retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance told through harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution and incredible artistry. Eternal Spring is an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.
Director Jason Loftus (Canada 2022) 86 min.
FILMMAKER IN PERSON DEC 7
TUESDAY, DEC. 6 • 4:15 & 7:15
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 • 4:15
$12.50 General | $9. Senior • Youth • Matinée | $7 CFI Members