{{Short description|2022 Canadian documentary film}} {{About|the film about the Falun Gong signal intrusion|Falun Gong signal intrusion events|Broadcast signal intrusion#Falun Gong hijackings (2002)}} {{Infobox film | name = Eternal Spring | image = File:Eternalspring2022film.jpeg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Jason Loftus]] | producer = Jason Loftus<br>Masha Loftus<br>Yvan Pinard<br>Kevin Koo | native_name = {{Infobox Chinese/Chinese|child=yes|hide=no|header=none | s =长春 |l=Eternal [[spring (season)|Spring]] / [[Changchun]] | t ={{Linktext|長春}} | p = Chángchūn }} | writer = Jason Loftus | starring = [[Daxiong]] | music = Thomas William Hill | cinematography = [[John Minh Tran]] | editing = [[David Schmidt (editor)|David Schmidt]] | studio = Lofty Sky Entertainment | distributor = | runtime = 86 minutes | released = {{film date|2022|03|15|[[Thessaloniki Documentary Festival|Thessaloniki]]}} | country = Canada | language = English<br>Mandarin | budget = }} '''''Eternal Spring''''' ({{lang-zh|s=长春}}) is a 2022 Canadian [[Adult animation|adult]] [[animated documentary]] film written, directed, and co-produced by [[Jason Loftus]].<ref name=mullen>Patrick Mullen, [https://povmagazine.com/eternal-spring-review-animating-an-awakening/ "Eternal Spring Review: Animating an Awakening"]. ''[[Point of View (magazine)|Point of View]]'', May 1, 2022.</ref> Based around the animation of Chinese artist [[Daxiong]], the film centres on [[Falun Gong]]'s 2002 hijacking of broadcast television stations in [[Changchun]] and [[China]]'s continued repression of ethnic and religious minority groups.<ref name=mullen/>
The film premiered at the [[Thessaloniki Documentary Festival]] on March 15, 2022.<ref>Alex Economou, [https://neoskosmos.com/en/2022/07/28/life/thessaloniki-festival-a-valuable-launchpad-for-award-winning-documentary/ "Thessaloniki festival a valuable launchpad for award-winning documentary"]. ''[[Neos Kosmos (newspaper)|Neos Kosmos]]'', July 28, 2022.</ref> It was subsequently screened at the 2022 [[Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival]], where it was named the overall winner of the [[Hot Docs Audience Awards|Hot Docs Audience Award]] for most popular film in the festival, and the first-place winner of the [[Hot Docs Audience Awards|Rogers Audience Award]] for the most popular Canadian film.<ref name=eternalspring>Jennie Punter, [https://variety.com/2022/film/global/eternal-spring-hot-docs-1235261894/ "‘Eternal Spring’ Takes Rogers Audience and Hot Docs Audience Awards"]. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', May 9, 2022.</ref>
In August 2022, the film was announced as Canada's submission for the [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film]] at the [[95th Academy Awards]], but it was not nominated.<ref name=weaver>Jackson Weaver, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/eternal-spring-oscars-1.6560945 "Eternal Spring named Canada's submission for Oscars' best international film"]. [[CBC News]], August 24, 2022.</ref> It was the first documentary film and the first animated film ever submitted by Canada, and only the fourth time since 1971 that a film was selected in a language other than French.<ref name=weaver/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roxborough |first=Scott |date=2022-09-06 |title=Oscars: Canada Picks 'Eternal Spring' for International Feature Category |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-international-feature-canada-eternal-spring-1235212795/ |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> On November 9, 2022, the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] officially deemed the film eligible for consideration in the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]] category.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Carolyn|last=Giardina Camp|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-animated-feature-oscar-1235258749/5|title='Marcel the Shell With Shoes On' Qualifies for Oscars' Animated Feature Race (Exclusive)|date=November 9, 2022|via=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=November 9, 2022}}</ref>
==Reception== On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 33 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "More impressive in form than function, Eternal Spring offers a periodically gripping mixed-media account of a pivotal moment in modern Chinese history".<ref>{{cite web |title=Eternal Spring |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eternal_spring |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Eternal Spring (2022) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/eternal-spring |access-date=January 23, 2023 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
Carlos Aguilar of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described the film as "distinctively incisive on an emotional level," noting that it "applauds the bravery of its participants to relive a painful shared trauma and create a permanent testament of what they endured."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aguilar |first=Carlos |date=2022-10-20 |title=Review: Bold 2002 takeover of Chinese state TV plays out in hybrid documentary 'Eternal Spring' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-10-20/review-eternal-spring-animation-documentary-falun-gong-jason-loftus |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> He wrote: "The most inspired among the many animated passages into the past is one that materializes Daxiong’s childhood memories of winter in his hometown of Changchun City, where Falun Gong originated and the epicenter of the repression. For a moment, he invites us to witness a period before the horrors of torture and incarceration tainted his memories of his home. Loftus’ foresight to include the behind-the-scenes process as part of the story — we see Daxiong working with the animation team and engaging in casual chats with the other subjects — also reinforces the direct link between creator and creation."
Cath Clarke of ''[[The Guardian]]'' rated ''Eternal Spring'' 4 out of 5, describing it as a "painful, important film, made more urgent in light of China’s tightening of religious freedoms and human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslims."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Cath |date=2022-10-18 |title=Eternal Spring review – animated inquisition into Falun Gong's Chinese media hijack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/18/eternal-spring-review-animated-inquisition-into-falun-gongs-chinese-media-hijack |access-date=2025-01-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
Chris Knight of the ''[[National Post]]'' called the film a "moving tour de force, which deserves to be widely seen" and rated it 5 out of 5.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Chris |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Film review: Eternal Spring needs to be seen |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/film-review-eternal-spring-needs-to-be-seen |access-date=January 5, 2025 |website=[[National Post]]}}</ref>
In a review for ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', [[Amil Niazi]] wrote: "From the very first scenes of the Canadian documentary Eternal Spring, you’re thrust into a thrilling, all-consuming film that challenges traditional documentary tropes and finds a way to tell a winding, difficult story with brilliant ease." She concluded: "Watching these painful, shared memories come to life, seeing up close as the few who made it out are able to pay homage to those who didn’t, it’s hard not to think of all those who continue to be punished for practising their beliefs in China, from the Falun Gong practitioners to the Uyghur Muslims. Perhaps a film like this can illuminate what is lost in shadow, much like the hijackers did on that night in 2002. Either way, their message is being rebroadcast in the loudest possible way with Eternal Spring."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Niazi |first=Amil |date=2022-09-20 |title=Review: Essential Canadian documentary Eternal Spring traces persecution of the Falun Gong with brilliant ease |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article-essential-canadian-documentary-eternal-spring-traces-persecution-of/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221020185529/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article-essential-canadian-documentary-eternal-spring-traces-persecution-of/ |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |access-date=2025-01-05 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref>
== Awards and nominations == {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" ! scope="col" style="width:20%;"| Award ! scope="col" style="width:10%;"| Date of ceremony ! scope="col" style="width:25%;"| Category ! scope="col" style="width:35%;"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Result ! scope="col" style="width:10%;" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |- ! scope="row" | [[Zurich Film Festival]] | October 2, 2022 | Best International Documentary Film | rowspan="3"| ''Eternal Spring'' | {{nom}} | align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/430572/|title=The Zurich Film Festival unveils the programme for its 18th edition|website=Cineuropa|first=Giorgia|last=Del Don|date=15 September 2022|accessdate=9 October 2022}}</ref> |- ! rowspan="3" scope="row" | [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle]] | rowspan="3" | [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2022|February 13, 2023]] | [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Canadian Film|Best Canadian Film]] | {{nom}} | align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northernstars.ca/vancouver-film-critics-announce-nominees/ |title=Vancouver Film Critics Announce Nominees |publisher=Northerns Stars |date=January 23, 2023 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123170533/https://www.northernstars.ca/vancouver-film-critics-announce-nominees/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Canadian Documentary|Best Canadian Documentary]] | {{won}} |- | [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director of a Canadian Film|Best Director of a Canadian Film]] | rowspan="2"| [[Jason Loftus]] | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| [[Annie Awards]] | [[50th Annie Awards|February 25, 2023]] | [[Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Writing in a Feature Production|Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production]] | {{nom}} | align="center"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/annie-awards-nominations-2023-list-1235224045/|title=Annie Awards Nominations: 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' & 'Marcel The Shell' Lead Field|website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|first=Erik|last=Pedersen|date=January 17, 2023|accessdate=January 17, 2023}}</ref> |- |}
==See also== * [[List of submissions to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film]] * [[List of Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|20199286|Eternal Spring}} *[https://eternalspringfilm.com/ Official website]
{{Canadian submission for Academy Awards}}
[[Category:2022 films]] [[Category:2022 animated films]] [[Category:2022 documentary films]] [[Category:Canadian adult animated films]] [[Category:Canadian animated documentary films]] [[Category:Documentary films about China]] [[Category:Works about Falun Gong]] [[Category:Animated films set in the 2000s]] [[Category:2022 Mandarin-language films]] [[Category:2020s Canadian animated films]] [[Category:English-language Canadian films]] [[Category:Chinese-language Canadian films]] [[Category:2022 Canadian films]]