Vice News inks license deal for Canada's Oscars entry 'Eternal Spring'

International media house Vice has bagged the rights for Eternal Spring: The Heist of China's Airwaves, Canada’s official entry into the Oscars. Directed and produced by Jason Loftus, Eternal Spring is the country’s official entry into the international feature film category for the Oscar Award 2023.

Eternal Spring is a Mandarin animated documentary that depicts the plot set by the Falun Gong members to hack China’s state television. The neo-religious group created in the 1990s was one of the persecuted groups in China and was declared an illegal group by the state. The documentary educated on how the plot to expose repression by the state was carried out.

As per reported by Variety, the movie is the first documentary, animated movie, and Mandarin language film chosen by Canada as the official Oscar entry. The film premiered in Thessaloniki, Greece, in March earlier this year. Eternal Springs has received phenomenal reviews and has already won two prizes at Hot Docs Audience Awards 2022 in May.


Eternal Springs will hit theatres in Canada on September 23 and in the US on October 14. Other than Vice, the documentary will also be marketed by a handful of media houses. These include:

• Arte, for France and Germany
• VG. for Norway
• Current Time, for Russian-speaking parts of Europe
• RTS, for Switzerland
• Al Jazeera Doc for MENA region

Commenting on the movie’s pre-release success, director Jason Loftus said that Eternal Springs was a result of six years of effort. Loftus added that the primary goal behind the project was to bring the story out to the world. He further commented that the partnership with Vice and the expected global release in the fall would help make the level of impact they were expecting.

For Vice News, VP Brendan Kennedy claimed Eternal Springs covered all the topics that the media company prioritizes, like religious freedom, displacement, and creativity. Brendan also remarked that the Mandarin-language documentary had the best animation he had ever seen.

FAQs
• Who’s the director of Eternal Springs?
Jason Loftus is the director and producer of Eternal Springs. It took over six years to complete the documentary.

• When does Eternal Springs release?
Eternal Springs will release on September 23 in Canada and on October 14 in the US. Subsequently, the film will release worldwide.

• What’s the date for the Oscar Awards 2023?
The Oscar Awards 2023 will take place on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles.