AsiaLENS: AEMS Documentary Film and Discussion Series at the Spurlock 2013–2014: The Revolutionary

• Event Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2014
• Time: 7:00 pm (CDT)
• Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free Admission

• Film

The Revolutionary
(2013) Unrated, 92 minutes.

During China's Cultural Revolution, one of the most destructive and least understood political upheavals of the 20th century, Chairman Mao's call to "make revolution" was answered by tens of millions of Chinese and one American. The Revolutionary is a feature-length documentary about the Maoist Era and Sidney Rittenberg, an American who assumed an unprecedented role for a foreigner in Chinese politics. In those catastrophic times, Mao's last stand to hold on to power and to his political legacy, Rittenberg's personal relationship with China's leaders brought him both prominence and a long stay in Beijing's Prison No. 1. It should be noted that these events of the Maoist Era have all but been removed from the PRC's official history, a reflection of what one contemporary Chinese writer has called "China's historical amnesia".

Visit the film's official website to read more about the film. http://revolutionarymovie.com/index.html (external link)

This series of public film screenings and lecture/discussion programs is organized by the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS) at the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies. It is planned in collaboration with the Spurlock Museum and presented in the Knight Auditorium. Guest scholars and members of the campus and local communities will introduce the films and lead post-screening audience discussions.