Vice has signed a worldwide license deal for director and producer Jason Loftus’ “Eternal Spring: The Heist of China’s Airwaves,” Canada’s entry in the Oscars’ international feature film category.
Sales agent Sideways Film, which represents the production on behalf of Lofty Sky Entertainment, has also scored domestic deals on the film with Arte for France and Germany, RTS for Switzerland, VG for Norway, Current Time for Russian language European territories and Al Jazeera Doc for the Middle East and North Africa.
Through the lens of celebrated comic book artist Daxiong (“Justice League”), the documentary explores a plot by Falun Gong adherents in China to hack state television and expose repression.
It is the first documentary, first animated film, and first Mandarin-language film to be chosen by Canada for the Oscars. Since its March premiere at Thessaloniki, the film has been on on an award winning spree, including two top prizes at Hot Docs.
The film will open theatrically in Canada on Sept. 23 and at Film Forum in New York on Oct. 14, with global theatrical expansion to follow.
Brendan Kennedy, VP development at Vice News, said: “This is an important movie that covers so many of the topics important to Vice – censorship, creativity, religious freedom and displacement – all done in some of the most exquisite animation I’ve ever seen. We’re lucky to have this one on our slate.”
Loftus added: “Over the nearly six years of making ‘Eternal Spring,’ it’s always been our goal to share this incredible story with the widest audience possible. Vice’s ‘The Short List with Suroosh Alvi,’ presents an excellent slate of politically engaged docs and in depth conversations on an accessible platform. This, combined with our fall theatrical release and international broadcasts, will provide the impact we are seeking for the film and its brave subjects.”
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