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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

(Alison Klayman, 2012) 

Introduced with readings by Hanif Abdurraqib and Scott Woods

Photo of Ai Weiwei, a man with a beard wearing a blue jacket with his arms folded standing in front of a brick wall.

A gripping portrait of China's most acclaimed and controversial artist and activist.

Because of his art world fame and persistent criticism of the Chinese government, Ai Weiwei has become one of the world’s most renowned artists and one of China’s most notorious. In the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, filmmaker Alison Klayman follows the artist as he works to install projects in Munich and London while dealing with harassment, violence, and eventually imprisonment in China. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Klayman captures intimate and astounding footage of Ai Weiwei’s mistreatment at the hands of his government as well as his efforts to fight against it. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles. (91 mins., DCP) 

Hanif Abdurraqib is a Columbus poet and author whose books include The Crown Ain’t Worth Much (2016), A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance (2021), and There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (2024). Scott Woods is a Columbus writer, activist, and founder of the Streetlight Guild.

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IMAGE CAPTION
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, courtesy of IFC.

"One of the most compelling stories to come out of China in recent years."

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FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
National Endowment for the Arts
Ohio Humanities

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Wexner Family
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Mellon Foundation
Every Page Foundation
Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts
CampusParc
Nationwide Foundation
Lois S. and H. Roy Chope Fund of The Columbus Foundation
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme
The Columbus Foundation
Axium Packaging

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Ohio State Energy Partners
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection
David Crane and Elizabeth Dang
Melissa Gilliam and William Grobman
Rebecca Perry Damsen and Ben Towle

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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry