The European Film Academy, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and International Film Festival Rotterdam call for the immediate release of Chinese filmmaker Deng Chuanbin (also known as Huang Huang).
Huang, an independent documentary filmmaker living in Sichuan Province, was arrested by Chinese authorities on 17 May 2019. That morning, Huang had tweeted a Chinese political meme, which referenced the Tiananmen Square protests that took place on 4 June 1989.
He has collaborated with a variety of human rights defenders in his work, which has often touched on human rights concerns. Prior to his current detention, Huang had faced intimidation from Chinese authorities, including in 2015, when he was prevented from travelling to Geneva to attend a human rights seminar, an act of state reprisal against his efforts to engage with UN human rights bodies.
“We strongly condemn the arrest of fellow filmmaker Huang Huang, for allegedly tweeting a photo which the authorities found controversial,” remarked EFA Chairman Mike Downey, “His detention is a flagrant betrayal of his human rights and his basic freedom of expression. This crackdown on artists like Huang is in no way acceptable and we call on the relevant authorities to release him immediately. The wide ranging and extreme steps taken by the Chinese government to silence artistic voices attempting to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Protest and in this case, referencing a meme to a historical date, goes way beyond the limits of any respect for human rights whatsoever.”
The European Film Academy, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and International Film Festival Rotterdam ask for the immediate and unconditional release of Huang Huang and call on festivals around the world, cinemas and all artists to do the same.
Contact details
Related news
International Film Festival Rotterdam unveils first selections for 2025 edition’s film programme
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled the first wave of programming selections for its upcoming 54th edition of the festival, taking place from 30 January – 9 February 2025. The...
Latest RTM Pitch winner announced as IFFR 2025 dates confirmed
Researcher and filmmaker Sharine Rijsenburg will receive €20,000 towards the production of her Afrofuturistic project Bubbling Baby.
IFFR records strong visitor numbers during impactful edition
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border wins the Audience Award.
Rei and The Old Bachelor take top IFFR 2024 awards
Winners of the 2024 Tiger Award and VPRO Big Screen Award announced.
IFFR Pro winners announced at CineMart 2024
Seven awards handed out during the 2024 edition of IFFR’s co-production market CineMart