ICFR calls for release of filmmaker Chen Pinlin and continues to stand with Shin Daewe
Two critical cases have come to the attention of the ICFR. In Myanmar, Shin Daewe, a pioneering documentary filmmaker, has had her life sentence reduced—a small but inadequate step toward justice. Meanwhile, in China, filmmaker Chen Pinlin has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for his critical work. The ICFR stands firmly in support of both filmmakers, continuing to call for justice and the unconditional release of these vital voices in documentary cinema.
The case of Chinese filmmaker Chen Pinlin
The ICFR calls on the Chinese authorities for the immediate and unconditional release of our colleague, Chen Pinlin. First arrested and submitted to questioning in November 2023, the 33-year-old documentary filmmaker has now been officially sentenced, in a closed trial, to 3,5 years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", an accusation often levelled by the Chinese authorities against journalists and media workers critical of Chinese policies and surveillance.We encourage all our colleagues across the global film industry to join us in supporting Chen Pinlin, and call upon the Chinese authorities to release the documentary filmmaker immediately and unconditionally.
Chen Pinlin's documentary in question, Urumqi Middle Road (乌鲁木齐中路, also known internationally as Not the Foreign Force), revolves around the "White Paper Movement", a nationwide series of peaceful protests in 2022. These protests responded to all the rolling lockdowns under China's zero-COVID policy, as well as to the harsh environment of surveillance and censorship in China. Shared (often under his pseudonym "Plato") on YouTube and X, both of which are banned in China, the film's sensitive and outspoken content includes the brutal police crackdown on what ended up being the larges wave of citizen protest since the Tiananmen Square events back in 1989.
Reporters Without Borders' Cédric Alviani, the organization's Asia-Pacific Bureau director, comments on Chen Pinlin's sentence: "Documentary filmmaker Chen Pinlin was only serving the public interest by documenting historic protests against censorship and abuses by the Chinese regime. By branding him a troublemaker, Beijing demonstrates its utter contempt for the right to information."
As both Reporters Without Borders and the Human Rights Research Center point out, Chen Pinlin's arrest and sentence are clearly part of a bigger effort of the Chinese authorities to stifle the voices and stories of filmmakers, journalists and press freedom defenders across the board. As the ICFR reported last fall, Uyghur filmmaker Ikram Nurmehmet has also been sentenced by China to a long prison sentence, in his case for his film studies abroad in Turkey. They are among at least 124 film workers, journalists and press freedom defenders currently detained in the country.
In addition to distributing this call in your own networks, we also encourage you to join Amnesty International's writing campaign in Chen Pinlin's support; read more right here.
Lastly, Chen Pinlin's documentary Urumqi Middle Road can be watched on YouTube via this link. We encourage those in charge of film (festival) programming to include the film, if at all fitting and possible, in your public programs.
The case of Myanmar filmmaker Shin Daewe
Additionally, the ICFR has received reports that on January 5th of this year, the life prison sentence of Shin Daewe, one of Myanmar's pioneering female documentary filmmakers, has been shortened to 15 years. It is a small step in the right direction for Shin Daewe, whom the ICFR continues to stand with as we call upon the Myanmar authorities for a complete and unconditional repealing of the sentence and the accusations levelled against her.
The news is part of a broader amnesty on the part of Myanmar's current ruling military junta, to mark the 77th anniversary of Myanmar's independence from British colonial rule. On January 5th, the military junta released more than 6,000 inmates, only a small percentage of whom were political prisoners. In that category, Shin Daewe's sentence shortening is in line with the fates of 143 other prisoners who have now seen their life sentences reduced to fifteen years of incarceration.
Shin Daewe's sentence is the result of a closed trial of a military tribunal, all revolving around her possession of a filming drone common to documentary filmmaker. According to the military regime, this violated their counter-terrorism laws and was accordingly punished with a lifetime prison sentence on 10 January 2024. More context on Shin Daewe's filmmaking career and current situation can be read here.
Deeply worried about her health and well-being, the ICFR stands with Shin Daewe and call on the Myanmar authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Shin Daewe. We continue to encourage all film and cultural colleagues around the world to do the same, and invite them to share the link to her film NOW I AM 13 wherever possible. Contact us for more information.
Header image: portrait of Shin Daewe
