NEWS: Ai Weiwei – The Fake Case @ Tyneside Cinema

Over the course of four years, Danish filmmaker Andreas Johnsen documented the high-profile court battle between world-famous artist and political activist Ai Weiwei and the Chinese authorities. The completed film became The Fake Case, which is screening at the Tyneside Cinema from Monday 15^th December, as part of the Nordic Film Festival.

Johnsen captures the time just after Weiwei was detained for alleged tax evasion before spending 81 days in a cell with two guards watching his every move. The film documents the time after this high-profile incarceration, portraying Weiwei’s continued plea of innocence and battle against unrelenting attempts by the authorities to silence him. The documentary is less about the details of the case and more an attempt to capture Weiwei’s state of mind and life during what has come to be known as a multi-million dollar ‘Fake Case.’ It’s a fascinating insight into the life of possibly China’s most famous contemporary artist as well as the issues behind Chinese authoritarianism and freedom of speech.

Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case screens at the Tyneside Cinema from Monday 15^th December.