Maxim Derevianko’s “Ai Weiwei’s Turandot” has been picked up by Berlin-based doc specialist Rise and Shine World Sales, ahead of its international premiere on March 21 in the Highlights section of the Copenhagen documentary festival CPH:DOX. The film follows Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he makes his debut as an opera director at the Rome Opera House, with a radical interpretation of Puccini’s century-old masterpiece.
As well as presenting “Ai Weiwei’s Turandot,” Ai will also debut his latest documentary as a director, “Animality,” at CPH:DOX, which will have its world premiere on March 21, followed by a Q&A with the artist.
Set in a mythical Beijing, “Turandot” has been accused of exoticism and was previously banned in China. Marked by his characteristic defiance and artistic audacity, with costumes and staging referencing his own art, Ai’s production transforms the iconic opera into a powerful statement on contemporary issues, weaving in themes of war, refugee crises and the pandemic.
“When I began working on ‘Turandot,’ I focused on how to reinterpret this ancient story in a way that resonates with today’s world. As I delved deeper, I realized that the story reflects several profound themes,” Ai told Variety. “At its core, it is about an ancient Chinese princess – beautiful yet ruthless. The man who seeks her love is an immigrant, originally Persian. Throughout the film, there is a constant struggle between hope and despair, sacrifice and promise, trust and betrayal.”
He continued: “I intertwined this ancient narrative with contemporary political realities – refugees, authoritarianism, the fragile boundary between love and hate, and the sacrifice of pure, innocent emotions. It is harsh and cruel, and it is about political decisions. It also speaks to the pandemic, the Hong Kong uprising, and the looming threat of ongoing war.
“For an opera to endure, it must be reinterpreted to remain relevant to humanity’s present condition. Only by doing so can I truly justify Puccini’s unfinished opera,” he said.
The doc captures the opera’s tumultuous production process, which began in 2019 and was abruptly halted in March 2020 when Italy went into lockdown. The performance finally debuted two years later.
It features interviews with key players in Ai’s adaptation of “Turandot” including longtime friend, choreographer Chiang Ching, as well as Ukrainian conductor, Oksana Lyniv, who took the opportunity to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which had begun just a month earlier.
“Ai Weiwei’s Turandot” is co-produced by Marta Zaccaron at Incipit Film and Christine La Monte, with long-time Ai collaborator Andy Cohen producing, and Julian Lennon as executive producer.
“Animality”
Courtesy of CPH:DOX
“Animality” takes audiences on a journey across the globe, challenging human beings’ relationship with the natural world.
Through an unflinching lens, Ai examines our complex, often exploitative rapport with animals, capturing raw, unscripted moments: uniformed men in China beating street dogs to death with sticks, camels in Egypt bound and forced into submission, ranchers in Brazil fueling Amazon deforestation for cattle expansion, and mink in Denmark being culled in mobile gas chambers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Rather than passing explicit judgment, the film provides a meditation on human dominance and the ethical dilemmas of our interactions with other species.
Ai told Variety the doc is a natural sequel to his previous films “Calico Cat” and “Human Flow.” “This latest film serves as a culmination of my ongoing exploration of how humans globally treat animals – other living species that share this planet with us,” he said.
“The way animals are treated, as depicted in the film, starkly illustrates humanity’s ignorance, arrogance, and blindness, manifesting differently across societies but ultimately leading to the same conclusion: We have dominated the world – at the cost of sacrificing other forms of life.”
By showcasing Ai’s work, CPH:DOX reinforces its role as a platform where art and activism meet, nurturing the global conversation on human rights and social change.
Ai will also join a panel on human rights – the festival’s central theme – reinforcing his long-standing commitment to freedom of expression. After his 2011 arrest and imprisonment, Ai left China in 2015 and now lives and works in Europe.
The festival kicks off today in Copenhagen and runs through March 30.
