Tiananmen

20 YEARS AFTER THE MASSACRE

During the night from June 3rd – 4th 1989 the Chinese People’s Liberation Army opened fire on a defenceless crowd of people. For weeks beforehand, up to one million people had been staging a protest in Tiananmen Square in the centre of Beijing. Even today, there are still no reliable figures as to the number of people killed. Human rights groups estimate that there were 3,000 dead.

A unique film, which uses interviews, contemporary images of the locations involved and rare private archive photos to bring June 4th 1989 to life again – together with its impact on the China and the Chinese of today.

TEAM
Written and directed by: Thomas Weidenbach, Shi Ming // Camera: Michael Kern // Sound: Jonas Schmailzl // Film editor: Marc Schubert // Music: Thomas Wolter // Production manager: Oliver Gontram // Executive producer: Thomas Weidenbach // Commissioning editors: Christiane Hinz (WDR), Sabine Rollberg (WDR/Arte), Silvia Gutmann (NDR)

AWARDS
– Adolf-Grimme-Prize 2010 in the Category Information & Culture
– Robert Geisendörfer-Preis, Medienpreis der Evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands, 2010
– Gold World Medal, New York Festivals 2010
– Special Jury Remi Award, WorldFest Houston International Film Festival 2010
– Best historical documentary, AIB-Media Awards, London, 2009
– Camera Obscura, Festival in Poland, Honorable mention for best socio-political reportage, 2009