Anni

As a campaigner for democracy, Zhang Lin is under surveillance by the totalitarian Chinese government. When he moves to another city without official permission, they punish him where it hurts most: by banning his daughter Anni from attending school. In this way, they control his life and her future.

On a square by the school, protestors mount a small but persistent demonstration. The participants hold banners explaining the circumstances, post messages on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, and enter into cautious conversations with each other and passersby. The events are observed unhurriedly and without commentary, using a hand-held camera, raw and unfiltered.

In addition to being a document of contemporary history, Anni is a monument to the courage of the father and the group of no more than a few dozen protestors. Gradually, it becomes apparent that this modest protest is perhaps the only resistance possible. This, and the brave deed of recording it on film.