All Static & Noise

Synopsis

As Uighurs in China are deported to «re-education» camps, survivors risk everything to reveal the truth.

Screenings

When Jewher was going on a family holiday as an 18-year-old, her father Ilham Tohti was arrested at the airport. She had to leave China without him, and while she tried to start a new life in the United States, her father was sentenced to life in prison. They are both Uyghurs, and in today's China their people are systematically oppressed and threatened to silence.

The title «All Static & Noise» is taken from the way the Uighurs have been described by the Chinese authorities. In the film, we follow Jewher's struggle and activism to free her father, with whom she has had no contact since 2013. Brave individuals and activist groups put their own safety at risk to tell about one of the biggest human rights crises of our time.

 

Event March 10:
The Battle of Uyghurs in exile

The Chinese persecution of the Turkish-speaking Uyghur population in Western China has led to the detention of more than a million Uyghurs, kept in concentration camps, tortured and utilized in forced labour. Both films «Behind the Mask» and «All Static & Noise» examine the struggles of those who escaped from China, their battle for international awareness and justice from the Chinese regime. 


After the screening of the short film «Behind the Mask», there will be a talk with Håvard Bustnes, director of «Behind the Mask», and Abduweli Ayup, protagonist in «Behind the Mask», Uyghur former political prisoner and in the Norwegian PEN Cities of Refuge program in Bergen. 


Following this, there will be a panel talk: How to fight the Uyghur persecution.

Panel: 
Abduweli Ayup, protagonist in «Behind the Mask», Uyghur former political prisoner and in the Norwegian PEN Cities of Refuge program in Bergen. 
Adiljan Abdurihim, project leader Uyghur Transitional Justice Database
David Novack, director of «All Static and Noise»
Harald Bøckmann, Professor in History, UiO, member of Norwegian PEN
Moderator: Kristoffer Rønneberg, journalist i Aftenposten


After the panel there will be a short break before the screening of «All Static & Noise».


This event is in collaboration with Uyghur Transitional Justice Database, Journeyman Pictures and The China Selection Committee of Norwegian PEN.

Before and after the event the Uyghur Transitional Justice Database invites the audience to try their VR-experience of the detention camps, 3D-modeled after witness testimonies from survivors. 

About the director:
David Novack is an American director, screenwriter and producer. He has previously made «Burning the Future» (2008) and the hybrid documentary «Finding Babel» (2018). In addition, he produced the documentary «Kimjongilia» (2009), giving a voice to those who fled North Korea after the war.

Gallery