The Vancouver Biennale is pleased to present the Ai Weiwei Cinefest Retrospective, a film series celebrating the world renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Join us at the Rio Theatre for an afternoon retrospective featuring the artist’s own films DISTURBING THE PIECE, SO SORRY, and THE CRAB HOUSE Sunday, April 26.

Sunday April 26, 2015
Doors: 1.15pm

1.30 PM: Opening Remarks

1.45PM: Disturbing the Peace

3.10PM: So Sorry

4.10PM: Crab House

Afternoon pass: $10 advance riotheatreticket.ca / $15 at the door

*Please note this ticket will get you into all 3 films for the afternoon.

***Online ticket sales end 2 hours before the event starts at 12pm on the day but our Box office will be open throughout.

All tickets 19+ w/ bar service. Please bring proper ID.

DISTURBING THE PEACE (AI Weiwei, 2009 / Mandarin with English subtitiles) | “LAO MA TI HUA” or Disturbing the Peace is a documentary of an incident during Tan Zuoren’s trial on August 12th, 2009. Tan Zuoren was charged with “inciting subversion of state power.” Chengdu police committed an obstruction of justice when they detained witnesses during the trial of the civil rights advocate. Tan Zuoren was charged as a result of his research and questioning regarding the May 12th Wenchuan student casualties due to poor, government built school construction. Tan Zuoren was sentenced to five years in prison.

SO SORRY (AI Weiwei, 2011 / Mandarin with English subtitles) | As a sequel to Ai Weiwei’s film Lao Ma Ti Hua, the film So Sorry (named after the artist’s 2009 exhibition in Munich, Germany) shows the beginnings of the tension between Ai Weiwei and the Chinese Government. In Lao Ma Ti Hua, Ai Weiwei travels to Chengdu, China to attend the trial of the civil rights advocate Tan Zuoren, as a witness. In So Sorry, you see the investigation led by Ai Weiwei studio to identify the students who died during the Sichuan earthquake as a result of corruption and poor building constructions leading to the confrontation between Ai Weiwei and the Chengdu police. After being beaten by the police, Ai Weiwei traveled to Munich, Germany to prepare his exhibition at the museum, Haus der Kunst. The result of his beating led to intense headaches caused by a brain hemorrhage and was treated by emergency surgery. These events mark the beginning of Ai Weiwei’s struggle and surveillance at the hands of the state police.

THE CRAB HOUSE (AI WEIWEI, 2012/ Mandarin with English subtitles) | Early in 2008, the district government of Jiading, Shanghai invited Ai Weiwei to build a studio in Malu Township, as a part of the local government’s efforts in developing its cultural assets. By August 2010, the Ai Weiwei Shanghai Studio completed all of its construction work. In October 2010, the Shanghai government declared the Ai Weiwei Shanghai Studio an illegal construction, and was subjected to demolition. In response, Ai decided to host a river crab feast at the Shanghai studio site to commemorate the demolition, and announced an online invitation for all to attend. On November 7, 2010, despite that Ai Weiwei was placed under house arrest by public security in Beijing, over 1,000 netizens attended the “River Crab Feast” at the Shanghai Studio. On January 11, 2011, the Shanghai city government forcibly demolished the Ai Weiwei Studio within a day, without any prior notice.