Letter From Masanjia: An SOS From Across the World
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The award-winning feature documentary Letter from Masanjia tells the story of how a desperate SOS note from a Chinese prisoner of conscience is found by a mother in the US in her Halloween decorations, and the incredible events that ensued.
It begins when mum of two, Julie Keith, finds an SOS note in a box of “Made in China” Halloween decorations from an Oregon Kmart. The desperate note was written by a political prisoner named Sun Yi from inside China’s notorious Masanjia labour camp. On the crumpled page that travelled over 5000 miles, he details being jailed for his spiritual beliefs and how he is being subjected to torture and brainwashing tactics. His message goes viral and leads to the closure of China’s notorious Masanjia Labour Camp. But this story is far from over.
Peabody-winning Canadian filmmaker Leon Lee is not welcome in his native country because of his prior films about the Chinese government's human rights abuses. So, in Letter from Masanjia, he teaches Sun Yi to use camera equipment via Skype. For over a year, Sun Yi secretly captures harrowing footage of his daily life as a human rights defender, leading up to his tense run from the Chinese authorities. Meanwhile, just outside Portland, Oregon, Julie Keith is struggling with her own dilemmas as a mother newly embroiled in this cause. Together, these unlikely heroes expose the ongoing persecution against millions whose ideology differs from the Chinese Communist government.
Today, persecutions like that of Sun Yi, continue. From the mass incarceration of Xinjiang's Uyghur population, the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans and democracy activists, to the encroaching loss of freedoms in Hong Kong, the regime stops at no ends to maintain it's dictatorship.
It's a story of courage, not to be missed. We look forward to your attendance—please share with your family and friends.
LA Times: “An amazing film.”
New York Times: “A potent documentary.”
BBC: “An astonishing sequence of events.”
POV Magazine: “You have to see this amazing story to believe it.”
Inside A Chinese Labor Camp: Q&A With Leon Lee, Director Of ‘Letter From Masanjia’
Please note: All tickets must be pre-purchased via Eventbrite—tickets will not be available for purchase on the night.