Animated doc ‘Eternal Spring’ selected as Canada’s contender for Oscar nomination
Posted August 24, 2022 3:03 pm.
Last Updated August 24, 2022 3:16 pm.
TORONTO — “Eternal Spring,” an animated documentary about religious persecution in China, will be Canada’s contender for a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at next year’s Academy Awards.
Telefilm Canada announced Wednesday that it would submit Jason Loftus’s film for consideration in the category formerly called Best Foreign Language Film.
The movie tells the story of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, who were targeted by police raids after a faction of members hacked into a state TV signal in 2002 in an effort to correct the record about their practice.
The comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, was forced to flee to North America, and initially blamed the hijacking for worsening the group’s violent repression. He changes his mind after meeting the only known surviving hacker to escape China.
The Mandarin-language film combines present-day footage and 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art.
If the Academy selects it, “Eternal Spring” would become the ninth Canadian movie to receive an Oscar nomination in the category.
The Academy will release a short list of 15 films on Dec. 21, and the nominees will be announced Jan. 24.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2022.
The Canadian Press
