This year’s edition of the Available Light Film Festival kicked off with Jason Loftus’ animated feature doc Eternal Spring (长春). The film, which premiered last March at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, centres on Falun Gong’s 2002 hijacking of television stations in Changchun and the violent aftermath which targeted the religion’s practitioners. Twenty years on, Loftus retraces events through the harrowing story of Falun Gong member and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), using eye-catching 3D animation inspired by his work. The film beat tough competition to be selected as Canada’s most recent entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.

But what did Jason Gorber, That Shelf’s Chief Critic, think of Eternal Spring (长春)? Tune into his review below:

The Available Light Film Festival runs from February 9 to 19, featuring both in-person and online screenings.