(Clearwisdom.net) Asheville is the largest city on the western side of North Carolina, U.S.A. The 2nd Asheville Film Festival was held here from November 4 to November 7, 2004. The movie Sandstorm, which exposes the Jiang faction's brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, was shown during the festival. Falun Gong practitioners in the Asheville area and the nearby Research Triangle of North Carolina decided to take the opportunity to clarify the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution to people attending the festival.
Sandstorm was planned for screening on the evening of November 5. Earlier in the day, several practitioners went downtown and distributed postcards about the movie and brochures introducing Falun Gong.
When the practitioners came to the local public library and asked if they could display some materials on Falun Gong and the postcards about Sandstorm, the librarian hesitated a little A passer-by commented, "Oh. This is a very good movie, and one of the best movies in the film festival." The librarian didn't say another word and agreed to let the practitioners leave the materials there. Later, the practitioners found out that the passer-by was one of the judges in the film festival.
When a practitioner chatted with a clerk in a store, the clerk said she had just visited New York two weeks ago, and had seen the anti-torture exhibition that Falun Gong practitioners held for exposing the persecution. She said she would not have time to see the movie that evening, but she would tell her friends about it. She also agreed to leave some materials explaining the facts of Falun Gong and the persecution on the store counter. A passer-by had been to China before, and had some understanding of China. When he heard practitioners introducing the movie's content, he said he definitely would go and see it. Some other people nearby said, "We heard about it and then called the movie theater. But the tickets are sold out."
At the awards ceremony, having received the highest award at the film festival, Sandstorm was arranged to be the last item on the ceremony program. Before an audience of four to five hundred actors, directors, and film producers, a Falun Gong practitioner gave a speech for about ten minutes. The practitioner mentioned that though the film festival organizers in California and Houston encountered some interference from the Chinese embassy when they tried to show the film, this is, after all, the United States; the film was shown without interference. People have their right to choose their own lifestyle and belief. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. After the ceremony, the practitioners continuously received congratulations and accepted media interviews. Some film producers expressed that they would carefully study Sandstorm and the truth of Falun Gong.
On the last afternoon of the film festival, the movie theater decided to show Sandstorm again. There were no empty seats in the theater. Some audience members had tears while watching the movie. After the movie, about forty or fifty audience members stayed to ask many questions about Falun Gong. The practitioners answered their questions one by one, and clarified the truth to them. In the end, because the movie theater decided to play Sandstorm for the festival volunteers, the audience finally had to leave.
The movie Sandstorm was directed by a Western practitioner. It displays the brutal and evil nature of the persecution to a large extent. Through the director's effort, the thinking pattern and production of the movie is quite suitable for modern people in Western society. The fact that it keeps receiving awards will also bring some attention from the Chinese community. I did feel, however, that the movie's perspective was rather modern. The leading role and the major assisting roles are all negative figures. The atmosphere of the movie was dark and did not emphasize the brighter side and good aspects of the positive characters in the movie.
Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art," "In your artwork you should display what's beautiful, what's upright, what's pure, what's good, and what's bright and positive." Master also said,
"But everything that Dafa disciples do today is of utmost importance, and it's also establishing a foundation for the future mankind and the future culture... Then how should those most basic things be utilized so people can embark on a true human path-- And how can [you] create good things-- I think that taking those basic techniques as a foundation, and adding to them the true goodness, righteousness, and pure beauty that Dafa disciples have come to comprehend in their cultivation, [you] can display good things."
I hope that our practitioners' artworks can take displaying the magnificence of Falun Dafa as the main theme. Yes, we are being persecuted and we want to expose the persecution, but at the same time we should display the brilliance and goodness of Dafa. It is indeed not an easy balance. But this is exactly what Dafa disciples of the Fa-rectification period are required to create. From the principle of the Fa (1), we have a clear direction for us to work hard on.
(1) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa.
