An Interview with Leon Lee on 'Letter From Masanjia' (2018)
Her Head in FilmsMay 21, 202400:45:26

An Interview with Leon Lee on 'Letter From Masanjia' (2018)

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 (https://www.bydhiyanah.com/)



Full Show Notes:




• Letter from Masanjia website (https://www.letterfrommasanjia.com/)


• More about Leon Lee (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6527118/?ref_=tt_ov_dr)


• More about Human Harvest (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3886488/?ref_=nm_knf_t2)


• More about Falun Gong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong)


• Yad Vashem exhibition of art from the Holocaust (https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/art/index.asp)


• More about Leon Lee's Ragdoll (http://www.filmsforfreedom.com/ragdoll/)