In March 2002, a state TV signal in China is 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 a 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 retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.
Winner of both Hot Docs audiences prizes and 12 film festival awards in Spring 2022, including the Greek Parliament's Human Values Award and the "Peter Wintonick" Fischer Audience Award at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Canada's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Oscars.
"[An] original, moving tour de force, which deserves to be widely seen." - National Post
"Profoundly moving. Social realities in China are dispiriting but help us remember the humanity that links us all. The day after Eternal Spring was announced as Canada’s Oscar contender, China banned Daxiong's books." - The Tyee