WASHINGTON, DC – The Shen Zhou International Film Festival kicked off at noon of July 22, 2014 in Washington, D.C.’s Angelika Film Center. At 4 pm, the new Shen Zhou film, “The Story of Two Artists” had its world premiere at the festival. The 30-minute short film attracted a large audience, with some saying that they would come again at 7:30 pm. The film was to be shown again because the film has such rich content and a lot of things that are worth pondering over deeply.
Image: Ms. Moo Young. (Photographer: Ziqing Su/The Epochtimes News Paper)
Korean immigrant Ms. Moo Young said that Falun Gong cultivators reminded her of the persecuted Christians in the past: “There have been many saints throughout history that have been killed because of their faith, but they would never give up that faith. These artists also refused to give up their faith. They are amazing and fearless.”
Ms. Young expressed that she could not understand the behavior of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. She said, “This persecution is absolutely wrong. No one should treat their countrymen in such a manner.” Filled with indignation, she said, “these persecutors will go to hell in the future.”
She said that, while watching the movie, she was thinking, “If I was one of them, maybe I would have given up my belief, so I think that they are truly amazing.” She said in Chinese, “…because the persecution is so terrifying!” The Falun Gong cultivators in the movie earned her admiration, because “they were not afraid of death and were willing to sacrifice their lives for their faith. As a believer, this really impresses me.”
Ms. Selma, who saw the final showing of “The Story of Two Artists,” said that she liked the documentary: “Even though I didn’t know what kind of documentary it was before I watched it, I really enjoyed it after watching it.”
She said, “I also saw that the woman in the documentary cured her illnesses through practicing Falun Gong. Those illnesses are similar to my situation, and it’s difficult for me to walk and sit down. I’m very curious and would like to try Falun Gong.”
She added that she loves the arts and enjoyed the story of the two artists, saying that “the two artists are good people, excellent people, because they try to help others.”
She mentioned that she had heard about the persecution of Falun Gong before, saying, “the persecution is wrong. I oppose the persecution of Falun Gong, and I oppose the savage killing of these people. We are all people, and every person should respect one another.”
Esther Newman, a university student studying international relations, greeted this reporter in fluent Chinese, saying, “I’ve been to China many times, but I never knew about Falun Gong before. This movie is really interesting.” She and her friend Richard LaCasse said that they would tell their friends about the story of the Falun Gong practitioners. Reluctant to leave, they stayed long after the movie ended, and were the last two audience members to leave today’s Shen Zhou International Film Festival.
(By Epoch Times)