In this episode, I interview director Leon Lee on his latest documentary, "Letter from Masanjia." In 2012, a story in The Oregonion went viral. A woman named Julie Keith had opened a box of Halloween decorations from KMart and discovered an SOS letter written by Sun Yi, a man imprisoned and tortured in a Chinese labor camp for engaging in the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. Keith publicized the letter, and the international attention eventually led to the abolishment of these labor camps and freed many people in the process. I talk to Lee about Sun Yi's story, how the documentary was made, and the larger issues it raises about the source of cheap goods, the persecution of minorities, and the power of small actions. Go to letterfrommasanjia.com for more information on the film and the steps you can take to make a difference.
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Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan
Full Show Notes:
I'm Still Here
Robert Eggers's 'The Witch' (2015)
Jean Negulesco's 'Humoresque' (1946)
Michael Curtiz's 'Mildred Pierce' (1945)
Mike Newell's 'Enchanted April' (1991)
Audrey Wells's 'Under the Tuscan Sun' (2003)
Michael Haneke's 'Funny Games' (1997)
Michael Haneke's 'Amour' (2012)
Jane Campion's 'Bright Star' (2009)
Jane Campion's 'In the Cut' (2003)
Wim Wenders's 'Wings of Desire' (1988)
Joachim Trier's 'Oslo August 31st' (2011)
Julie Dash's 'Daughters of the Dust' (1991)
George Sluizer's 'The Vanishing' (aka Spoorloos) (1988)
Lynne Littman's 'Testament' (1983)
Olivier Assayas's 'Clouds of Sils Maria' (2014)
John Cassavetes's 'Opening Night' (1977)
Charles Laughton's 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955)
Theo Angelopoulos's 'Landscape in the Mist' (1988)
Jean-Pierre Melville's 'Le silence de la mer' (1949)
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