The Canadian Selection Committee — the body responsible fore choosing the film that will represent Canada at the Academy Awards — announced today that the feature documentary Eternal Spring (長春) will be its entry in the one-film-per-country contest for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
Directed, written and produced by Jason Loftus and featuring the animated memories of Chinese comic-book artist Daxiong, Eternal Spring will vie for nomination at the 95th Academy Awards, to be held on March 12, 2023. The film is produced by Lofty Sky Entertainment and the international sales agent is Sideways Film.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we announce that Eternal Spring was selected from among 16 films submitted to the pan-Canadian selection committee for having the best chance of positioning itself well in the multi-stage Oscar race,” said Christa Dickenson, Executive & CEO, Telefilm Canada.
“This venture represents an exceptional opportunity for Eternal Spring to reach new audiences and offers a golden opportunity to showcase the high quality of Canadian filmmaking. That is why Telefilm will be supporting the film team in this prestigious competition and we wish them the best of luck.”
Eternal Spring has been presented at several international festivals and will be released across Canada on September 23.
Synopsis: In March 2002, a state TV signal in China is hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice.
In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic-book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.
So far, five countries have submitted their entries for the Best International Film Oscar; Eternal Spring is the only entry representing animation artistry in the category. Last year, 92 countries submitted a film. Animation is rarely seen among the international entries; the first and so far only animated feature to be nominated was Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir — also a documentary — representing Israel back in 2008.
In the history of the Oscars, eight live-action Canadian films have made the nomination cut for the category, previously called Best Foreign Language Film. Out of these, the country has celebrated one win: for Denys Arcand’s French-language comedy-drama The Barbarian Invasions in 2004.
Telefilm Canada coordinates and chairs the pan-Canadian Selection Committee, without voting right. The committee comprises some 20 members representing key government agencies and national film industry associations.
