This nominee for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short explores artist/ filmmaker Shui-Bo Wang's past as a Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution, his stint in the military as a propaganda poster artist, and his teaching experiences in the 1980s, through a rich collage of original artwork, animation, and archival and family photographs.
A committed member of the Communist Party throughout, it was not until he was exposed to rural poverty and illiteracy in the mid-80s that he began to question the Revolution.
Colliding icons, such as Mao and Coca-Cola, Tiananmen Square and the Statue of Library, evoke contradictory ideological symbols that have haunted China for years. SUNRISE OVER TIANANMEN SQUARE is Shui-Bo's thoughtful attempt to sort through ideology and arrive at his own truth.
"Profoundly Moving! A beautiful, honest, eulogistic tribute. Highly Recommended!"- Educational Media Reviews Online
"[Shui-Bo's] skillful pastiche of still photos, animation, and his own wonderful drawings, paintings, and propaganda poster art trace a history as powerful as the rise and crest of communism."- National Post
"Editor's Choice! Starred Review! A striking blend of autobiography, history and politics... Dynamic!"- Booklist
"A visually arresting and entertaining viewing experience [and] effective, imaginative autobiographical piece that also illuminates the lure of the idealistic promise of China's vision and the reality of its shortcomings. Highly Recommended!"- Video Librarian
"Very compelling, both because of the topic and the way in which images - both photos and illustrations, some of which are animated - are captured on film. [The film is] fascinating for the way it talks about political ideology, dreams, and realities in a such a candid way."- Animation World
1998 Academy Award Nominee, Best Documentary Short
Best War and Peace Film, 1998 Vermont Film Festival
Golden Gate Award, 1999 San Francisco Film Festival
1999 Seattle Human Rights Film Festival