FAIRFAX, Va.—On July 22, Shen Zhou film studio held the 2014 international film festival at the Angelika Film Center. The films presented during this 8th year anniversary of Shen Zhou film studio were stories of the tribulations and triumphs of Falun Gong practitioners. These included, “Shake the World,” “Forever,” “Awakening,” and the documentary, “The Story of Two Artists,” which had its world premiere.

Shen Zhou Film Studio President Hong Wei said that she hoped that viewers will better understand why Falun Gong practitioners feel compelled to tell about their persecution.

“In reality, Falun Gong practitioners are caring, with a sense of obligation to society. They stand out from most others in speaking the truth, hoping families and people can live in harmony and under true justice.”

The first film shown was “Shake the World,” a movie produced by Shen Zhou Film Studio in 2006. It depicts the bloody reality of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China who refused to give up their cultivation practice and were tortured to death.

The film “Forever” tells the story of a young man’s change both in his mind and body after practicing Falun Gong. However, he and his fiancée’s beautiful life together was shattered due to the brutal persecution.

In the audience was Li Shengye, who said, “Both films have inspired my family deeply. … My wife is a Falun Gong practitioner. I am aware that the persecution of Falun Gong is real, and it has been going on for fifteen years.” Shengyue came with his wife to the United States two years ago.

Talking about his life in mainland China. “I used to work in the Department of Political Affairs and the party committee of the school. I know the Chinese Communist Party very well. Having been brainwashed for many years by the communist culture, I changed a lot after coming to the United States. The shadow of the communist culture has been dissipating slowly [in my thinking]. ”

“The Story of Two Artists” is a 30-minunte documentary that tells the story of the artist, Professor Zhang Kunlun, and Chinese artist Ms. Zhang Cui Ying.

Korean immigrant Ms. Moo Young said that Falun Gong cultivators reminded her of the persecuted Christians of the past. “There have been many saints throughout history who 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.”

Image: Korean immigrant Ms. Moo Young. (Ziqing Su/ Epoch Times)

Ms. Young expressed that she could not understand the behavior of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Filled with indignation, she said, “These persecutors will go to hell in the future.”

The film “Awakening” won the 2011 TIVA-DC Peer Awards Bronze in the category of foreign language film. It tells the story of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun, China, intercepting cable transmissions and physically inserting a program of theirs for local broadcast. For a short while on cable TV, the truth regarding the atrocities perpetrated against practitioners, and the CCP’s fabrications concerning Falun Gong could be seen. The practitioners who carried out this audacious deed were eventually caught, given very long prison sentences and tortured, in some cases to death.

Image: Audience Ms. Kathleen Tangn. (Ziqing Su/ Epoch Times)

After watching the film, audience Ms. Kathleen Tangn said, “Society needs more people who can sacrifice their own interests in order to help others.”

A congratulation letter was received from Virginia Congressman James P. Moran (D), who stated, “Bringing Chinese culture to Northern Virginia and advocating for humanitarian reforms are admirable goals.”

Image: Virginia Congressman James P. Moran (Source: http://moran.house.gov )

Alluding to the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners, Moran said that it was not right what the China regime is doing. “I hope the efforts of your film can, in some part, help put an end to it. China has received economic success in recent years, and I hope it will continue to progress as a society.”

Image: The congratulation letter from Virginia Congressman James P. Moran. (Source: Shen Zhou Film Studio)

(By Epoch Times)

The 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival was held at the Angelika Film Center  on July 22,  2014.  On the same day, Shen Zhou Film Studio celebrated it’s 8th anniversary. Shen Zhou Film Studio also received a congratulatory letter from Congressman Moran for the special occasion.

Image: Congratulatory letter from Virginia Congressman James P. Moran to 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival (Shen Zhou Film Studio Website)

The 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival was succesfully held on July 22nd in Virginia (USA).  To fulfill the audience’s hope that more people will be able to see these movies, Shen Zhou screened them at the film festival. To thank the audience for support, Shen Zhou Film Studio decided to debut its newest film, “The Stories of Two Artists,” on Shen Zhou Web Theater.

“The movies are so touching. I’ll watch all of the four movies today.” Said Mr. Shengyue Li from Dalian, China. “Both the two movies are inspiring for my family. I’m not a Falun Gong practitioner, but my wife is. We clearly know that this persecution is indeed true and has been happening for 15 years.”

After carefully watching “Shake the World” and “Forever”, Mr. Li commented, “A movie is a combination of artistry and authenticity. These movies did a good job on both of these two aspects. I was very excited when I watched the movies. The performance of these actors and actresses has the sense of reality. The plot is abstracted from real stories. That’s what makes the movies profound and touching. Though I’m not a cultivator, I find the movies very educating. ”

Mr. Shengyue Li came to the United States with his wife two years ago. He recounted his life in mainland China, “I used to work at the Communist Party committee in a school, so I know the Communist Party very well. Over decades I was implanted in Communist culture. I’ve changed a lot since I came to the states. Those residuals of Communist culture are dissipating gradually.”

A happy and proud smile surfaced on his face when Mr. Li talked about his wife, “To let more people know about Falun Gong, she volunteers in front of the National Air and Space Museum every day and gives out flyers and brochures to tourists. I fully support what she does. To save her time, I cook meals and take over other kinds of housework. Before she practiced Falun Gong, she suffered badly from rheumatic heart disease and was hospitalized multiple times every year. Her knees were swollen like steamed bread. Through Falun Gong practice, the diseases are gone. She became healthy ever since, which is beneficial to the whole family. Now we are all very grateful to Falun Gong. ”

(By Epoch Times)

Image: Hong Wei said, “I hope that through watching these films, the audience members can get close to Falun Gong practitioners, to their lives and their inner realms, and come to understand why Falun Gong practitioners have taken the path of clarifying the facts.”

WASHINGTON, DC – The Shen Zhou International Film Festival, which officially ran from 12 to 8PM on July 22, showed four movies and one documentary free of charge to its audience members: “Shake the World,” “Forever,” “Reincarnation,” and the documentary, “The Story of Two Artists.” All of the films were produced for Shen Zhou Film Productions and depict the stories of Falun Gong practitioners. The showing of “The Story of Two Artists” was also its premiere.

The main theme of the film festival is “Working Together to Stop the Chinese Communist Party’s Persecution of Falun Gong,” and it also marks the eighth anniversary of Shen Zhou Film Productions’ founding. The four movies were shown to arouse people’s attention towards Falun Gong practitioners. On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its suppression of Falun Gong, and this suppression has gone on for 15 years. In these fifteen years, Falun Gong practitioners have persisted in their belief in “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance,” and have used peaceful resistance to oppose the persecution, clarify the facts, and use all sorts of means to awaken peoples’ kindness and conscience, and to call for a swift end to this utterly brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China. Hong Wei, president of Shen Zhou Film Productions, said that the first three films – “Shake the World,” “Forever,” and “Reincarnation,” were filmed in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. All of the actors in the films are Falun Gong practitioners who are amateur actors, and who use their free time to participate in the films and work together to use the media of film to explain the facts about Falun Gong to all levels of society. Hong Wei said, “I hope that through watching these films, the audience members can get close to Falun Gong practitioners, to their lives and their inner realms, and come to understand why Falun Gong practitioners have taken the path of clarifying the facts.” “Actually, Falun Gong practitioners take their family life very seriously, showing love for their family members and performing their social duties,” she said. “They come out to clarify the facts and hope that more families can be complete and that they can live in a just and genuine environment.” “Shake the World” Actress Experiences Real Torture “Shake the World,” which was filmed in 2006, was the first film shown at the festival. The idea for the film came about when director and producer Hong Wei was moved to tears when reading the true story of Ding Yan, who was persecuted to death for her faith in “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.” Ding became the basis for the film’s protagonist, also named Ding Yan. Hong felt that this story would also be moving to others, and decided to make it into a film. During the filming, funds and other conditions were limited, and a lot of props were made by the actors themselves in order to speed up the production. In order to shorten the filming process, the crew finished the film production in fifteen days, something almost unheard of in the movie industry. Falun Gong practitioners from Canada, Japan, and Washington, DC flew to Taiwan to film the movie together with Taiwanese practitioners. The crew tried to reproduce the CCP’s torture methods as accurately possible when filming. During the scene when Ding Yan was put in a water dungeon, the actress playing her was really put into cold, dirty water with tree leaves in it for the filming. On the day that the crew filmed Falun Gong practitioners appealing on July 20th, the weather was sweltering. Many people were hungry, and it felt like they were experiencing what really happened on that day, further strengthening their resolve to tell the story of Falun Gong pratitioners to more people. The director’s father was one of the actors in this film. During the filming, the director’s grandfather passed away. In order to not affect the filming, her father, often known as “the dutiful son,” covered up his sorrow and hid the news from his daughter. Only after the film was complete did he tell his daughter. The pure-hearted female lead in “Forever” “Forever” was filmed in Japan, was based on the story of Chinese Falun Gong practitioner Zuo Zhigang. Because Zuo practiced Falun Gong, he was taken from his workplace by Li Rongqi, the head of the Shijiazhuang City, Qiaoxi Division Public Security Bureau. He was tortured to death that night, only 33 years old. The new house his parents prepared for him has been held to this day. Some of the lines and details about the male protagonist the movie come directly from Zhigang’s story, and some of the dialogue comes directly from his original words. While the film was being shot, Zuo Zhigang’s body still lay in a funeral parlor, his parents refusing to cremate the body. They are sure that the authorities used lies to trick them and that Zhigang was tortured to death. They believe that the truth about their son’s death will come to light one day. The director said that the most difficult part of shooting the movie was choosing the female lead. The female lead had just entered society, and with a pure heart, had a strong sense of justice and responsibility. Finding such an ideal actress for this role was difficult, and the director finally found the right person the day before shooting. The actors worked day and night during shooting. During the large-scale Falun Gong exercise site shooting, almost all of the Falun Gong practitioners in Japan traveled long distances to participate. The Real Tears of “Awakening” In one scene in “Awakening” where the actor is supposed to cry, in order to help the male actor get into the mood, all of the crew members sang the song “Tiananmen Square, Please Tell Me,” the lyrics going, “Tiananmen Square, please tell me, how many disciples have come here for Dafa? The clouds in the sky, you can see the clearest; when facing evil, they are compassionate and peaceful.” The actor and everyone present shed tears upon hearing this song. “Awakening” is based on the story of Changchun Falun Gong practitioner Liu Chengjun and others who risked their lives to break through the CCP media blockade and, in a magnificent feat, used television to broadcast the facts about Falun Gong. Because the director was unable to go to China to film the reincarnation history needed for the script, they decided to film in Korea. Korea’s culture and traditions, in many ways, have a similar appearance to Chinese antiquity, including the costumes, which are extremely similar to ancient Chinese dress. The actress playing Wang Zhaojun wore a Han Dynasty pleated skirt personally designed and produced by a Falun Gong practitioner. One day, the weather report said that there would be a lot of rain in Korea. In order to not let the filming schedule be interrupted, the crew kept shooting. What was surprising was that the only place in Korea that didn’t rain that day was the spot where they were filming. The Power of Kind Deeds in “The Story of Two Artists” “The Story of Two Artists,” a documentary which made its world premeiere at the festival, was filmed in both Australia and New York. It documented artist Professor Zhang Kunlun and traditional Chinese painter Zhang Cuiying. By showing the artistic paths of these two, it shows the audience why they would choose to leave their homeland to move to another country. Hong Wei said that Professor Zhang was fortunate to be rescued from China by the Canadian government. It can be seen that the power of international justice is very important in supporting those facing persecution in China. Their journeys are extremely arduous, so a few kind deeds by the world’s people can change the lives of many in China. “The path that Falun Gong practitioners have taken – staying firm in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance – they have walked it day and night for fifteen years. None of what they are doing is for themselves; it’s for others. Such a kind group of people face the destruction of their families and even the loss of their own lives,” Hong said. “These movies are filmed as the joint wish of Falun Gong practitioners. These practitioners have not gone through professional training, and some of them were called on last-minute. Those ones have their own jobs and don’t see the script before arriving on site. But they rely on their own heart to tell people the truth about Falun Gong to perform these stories and to describe this kind and tolerant group of people. That’s because this kind and tolerant inner realm came through cultivation and is not something they have to try to feel.” Hong continued, “During the filming, the total cooperation of actors, their encouragement towards one another, and those few stories of Falun Gong practitioners, including interviews of live audience members, often deeply moved me. There are so many Falun Gong practitioners whose stories that are waiting to be heard by the world’s people. So I feel that this is my mission.” (By He Yi, Epoch Times)

Washington DC – On July 22, the 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival opened at the Angelika Film Center located in Fairfax, Virginia. The event started at 12 p.m., the four movies screened are “Shake The World”, “Forever”, “Awakening”, and “The Story of Two Artists.”

The movie “Awakening” was screened at 5:30 p.m. It won the Bronze Award for Best Foreign Language Movie during the 2011 TIVA-DC Peer Awards. This movie shows the imbalance of resources between Falun Gong practitioners and the communist regime: If only practitioners had access to the media, they could counter the lies and demonization of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In March 2002, some practitioners in Changchun managed to broadcast on cable TV, for a short while, the truth regarding the atrocities that the regime perpetrated against practitioners, and the CCP’s fabrications concerning Falun Gong. The practitioners who carried out the deed were eventually caught, given very long prison sentences and tortured, in some cases to death. But the deed was inspirational and gave hope to the director, who made use of such broadcasts in the movie.

Audience member Kathleen Tang came to the film festival with her mother. After watching “Awakening”, she commented, ” It was nicely directed and executed. I really like the movie. There should be more people like him (the character), who put other people’s interest above him own.”

Image: Audience member Kathleen Tang. (Photographer: Ziqing Su/The Epochtimes News Paper)

She recalled one detail from the movie, “I thought it was very impressive that he didn’t take the money and gave his conscience up, cause I think a lot of people would.”
The main characters deeply impressed her. “I thought it was a really unique story. The characters were relatable. But at the same time, they were people you don’t see every day. They are that kind of people you strive to be like.”

Ms. Tang also watched another movie, “Forever”. The movie gave her a bitter-sweet feeling, “I thought it was a really sweet movie, but also really sad. ”

She was again amazed by the main characters. “Both of them, they were like the ideal kind of people you look up to. It was not the normal characters you see in everyday movies.” For example, she said, “…how they dealt with everyday problems, how kind they were to everyone.”

Ms. Tang heard about the persecution of Falun Gong before. She said, ”They weren’t doing anything bad, and they were also kinder and nicer than everyday people. So I thought it was really sad the circumstances they face; it was really tragic.”

The sad ending of “Forever” surprised her. She said,  ”I thought the ending was really sad. I thought it would be a happy ending, ’cause that’s how most movies are. I guess it is to makes it more real, to make it stands out more, and also make it more memorable.”
As for the persecution, she commented, ” I honestly don’t know why they persecute Falun Gong. I feel every country would prefer to have these kind people who are willing and not selfish in helping others. She continued, “You know, they would want more kinder people like that.”

Ms. Sue, a Korean American audience member from the neighborhood, came to see “Awakening” with her family. She said, “the movie was a nice treat.” She heard about the persecution of Falun Gong, and thought the movie helped her to put the pieces together, “Oh yeah, the persecution was big news a while ago, but I didn’t really know what was going on, so it was nice to see the movie.”

She thought the persecution of Falun Gong was a typical thing for the Communist Party to do.  ”The persecution is like anything else the Communist government will do. I don’t even know what they saw as a threat, I guess they don’t like religions.” she said.
She was relieved to see the happy ending for the family. “The ending was nice for the whole family, but I was very sad for what they went through.”

As for the characters, she said, “I like the main characters. They were very likable because they were trying to do the right thing all the time.”

(By Epoch Times)

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)

Image: Mr. Marco Rojas and his mother. (Photographer: Ziqing Su/The Epochtimes News Paper)

“Forever” tells the story of a male Falun Gong practitioner that was beaten to death by the police on the day before his wedding. This is a true story based on the life of Falun Gong practitioner Zuo Zhigang. In the city of Shijiazhuang, Mr. Zuo Zhigang was taken from his workplace by police captain Li Rongqi. He died after a night of brutal torture. To this day his remains are located in an icebox of the Shijiazhuang Funeral Parlor. Many of the audience were quite moved by this film.

Mr. Marco Rojas, manager of Coca Cola’s Virginia branch, brought his mother to the film festival. After watching “Forever” both were quite shocked by the content of the movie and felt that they learned a lot.

Before watching the movie, Mr. Rojas did not know the persecution of Falun Gong in China. He said “The movie shocked me a lot. I never knew the persecution of Falun Gong before, this is a really great movie, I felt I learned a lot today.

He also likes the character of Falun Gong practitioner in the movie. Mr. Rojas said, “That male main character of Falun Gong practitioner is very moving, his action always encourages the people around him to be better people, he positively affects everyone around him, including his boss and colleagues. He tells other people how to be a better person, people around him all benefit from him, I love this a lot.”He was also impressed with the performances of the actors, he thinks they are all excellent actors.

He continually said, “Also, when I knew this movie was based on a true story, I felt this movie was even more inspirational.

Talking about the persecution of Falun Gong, he said, “The persecution is absolutely wrong, everyone should have the rights and freedom of belief. I am happy that so many people support them, also there is such movie for supporting them, to support those people who are facing the injustice. I hope one day they can get their justice back which they should have.”

He said there should be more movies like this, to help more people know the persecution, “So there will be more people to support Falun Gong.”

(By Epoch Times)

Image: 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival Info Desk. (Photographer: Zheng Tang/The Epochtimes News Paper)

According to organizers, July 22 was chosen as the date for the 2014 Shen Zhou International Film Festival to express concern for Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its brutal suppression of Falun Gong. To this day, not only have Falun Gong practitioners been implicated in the persecution, their family members, co-workers, neighbors and all different sectors of Chinese society have also been dragged into the situation. The festival organizers said that day after day for 15 years, Falun Gong practitioners have been trying to bring Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance to the world. This is not an act carried out in a single day but perseverance in doing upright deeds. If it weren’t for their genuine, heartfelt understanding of truth, who would be so bold as to risk their lives for justice? Only with willpower, wisdom, and compassion can someone suffer persecution but still persist in awakening others’ conscience and sense of pity while rescuing those living under lies and state power. These kind Chinese people have been persecuted for 15 years now. Their true stories stir the heart. In order to give more people the chance to hear their voices, the movies use little stories from daily life to help the viewer enter the inner realms of Falun Gong practitioners. All of this year’s Shenzhou International Film Festival movies share the stories of Falun Gong practitioners: “Shake the World,” “Forever,” “Reincarnation,” and “The Story of Two Artists.”

Image: Mr. Csi Nguyen. (Photographer: Ziqing Su/The Epochtimes News Paper)

“The CCP’s persecution is terrifying, and Falun Gong practitioners are heroes,” said Vietnamese immigrant Mr. Csi Nguyen. He saw news of the film festival in a newspaper. He didn’t know about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners before watching “Shake the World.” After watching the film, he said that the movie struck him. “I want to give support to Falun Gong practitioners,” he said. “They are all amazing people. I think that they are heroes.” He felt that the CCP’s brutal persecution of these people was terrifying: “Horrible, so horrible.”

He said that he hopes that more people can see these movies, saying that “television stations should play these movies to have more people understand [the persecution]. I hope more people can see these movies.”

Image: Mr. Kim Eng. (Photographer: Ziqing Su/The Epochtimes News Paper)

The movie “really stirs one’s heart,” said computer company employee Mr. Kim Eng after watching “Shake the World.” Mr. Eng is a Falun Gong practitioner himself and said that he was struck after watching the film: “I had seen this movie once before, but I was just as struck watching it this time around; the movie really stirs one’s heart.” What was striking to Eng about the movie was how authentically it portrayed the persecution that Falun Gong practitioners face. “The movie told true stories, and it made me feel like I was experiencing it myself,” he said.

Even though Mr. Eng is Asian, he was born in America, and when the persecution of Falun Gong in China started in 1999, he saw it unfold step by step in American media reports. “While in America these years, I have always been watching the persecution and everything happening in China,” he said. “I feel like I am one of those being persecuted.” When talking about the changes in the situation over the last few years, he said, “Over these years, even though Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted, people from more and more countries all over the world are starting to practice Falun Gong, and they are helping their family and friends to understand the true story about the persecution in China.” He felt that the persecution has been going on for too long and wished to tell the CCP to stop now, saying, “Falun Gong practitioners have never given up all these years in demanding that the CCP stop the persecution and explaining the facts to them. I believe that they [the CCP] will come to understand all of this sooner or later. As for what they choose, what way out they choose for their own futures, that’s completely up to themselves.”

(By Epoch Times)