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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, January 25-28, 2020 ‘Ask No Questions’ looks at propaganda and human will Ruichang Chen, a Falun Gong follower who worked for China’s state TV, meditates in the park during a scene from Jason Loftus’ documentary “Ask No Questions.” The film, which showcases how propaganda is used to sway public opinion in an authoritarian country, follows Chen’s ordeal when he refuses to follow orders to denounce Falun Gong. SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record In Jason Loftus’s documentary, “Ask No Questions,” which will screen Jan. 25 and 29 during the Slamdance Film Festival, audiences can see how propaganda is used to sway public opinion, especially in authoritarian countries. The film also shows how strong the human will can be. “Ask No Questions” follows the rise of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in Beijing. The Chinese government began to feel threatened by its teachings of truth, compassion and tolerance. The film spotlights an incident where five people attempted to self-immolate themselves on Jan. DOWN SIZING? MOVING? PROBATE? Have You Considered Having an ESTATE SALE? F REE CONSU LTATION COURTESY OF LOFTY SKY ENTERTAINMENT Slamdance will screen film on Jan. 25 and 29 C-3 The Park Record 23, 2001, in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese Communist Party, through an ongoing media blitz, claimed these five people were Falun Gong followers, and attempted to show them as fanatical, cultish and threatening to the Chinese way of life. The film also shines light on Ruichang Chen, a Falun Gong follower who worked for China’s state TV. When Chen doesn’t denounce his religion in the wake of the Tiananment incident, he, like other Falun Gong followers who refused to turn, are imprisoned and tortured in labor camps for months. The repression bothered Loftus, who also practices Falun Gong, and spurred him into making the film. “Having experienced this from inside the (Falun Gong) community and seeing the impact it had on practitioners, I had more of an impetus to want to get to the answers and figure out what really happened,” he said. The film originally looked at how propaganda facilitates human rights abuses, such as what happened to Chen, but shifted focus once Loftus and his co-director/co-producer Eric Pedicelli “No Questions Asked,” an entry in Slamdance Film Festival’s Documentary Features, is set to screen at the following times and locationss • Satudray, Jan. 25, 10:30 a.m., Treasure Mountain Inn Gallery • Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6 p.m., Treasure Mountain Inn Ballroom For information, visit slamdance.com heard what Chen had to say. “He had this amazing personal story in what he experienced, because he had been on both sides of the issue,” Loftus said. “Before being imprisoned, he had been involved in helping craft the media in China as a TV producer. So he was able to provide an inside look of what it was like to create propaganda, and he knew what it took to make it more persuasive.” Chen, who was eventually released from prison, showed them a manual from his TV days titled “Propaganda Affairs,” which Please see ‘Questions,’ C-7 Get 53% Off the newsstand price when you subscribe! For an in-county rate of only $56 a year, you can save 53% from the newsstand and receive: • Home Delivery • Park Record E-edition • Real Estate Monthly • All Park Record Magazines • Free Sunday Salt Lake Tribune Call 435-649-9014 to get your subscription today! Select option 3 when prompted Save even more with a 2 year subscription! Legacy Estate Sales, LLC. Ron Dubberly, Proprietor Certified Appraiser Call us today for a free consultation (801) 326–9961 |