Moving the Mountain

This excellent documentary traces the lives of a group of student leaders, their role in the 1989 democracy movement in China, and what happened to them after the tanks moved in to Tiananmen Square. This film is harrowing, as many of those interviewed are still traumatised by their experience (the film was made four years after the protests were crushed) and are living in exile. Even so, the film is important for the lessons to be learned about building a movement and resisting an authoritarian regime. It also raises many questions about leadership, responsibility, and guilt when things go wrong. And it's not all depressing - it does present a dramatic account of an extraordinary moment in 20th century history. All human rights activists should see this film -if for no other reason than to remember what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989. I showed it in 1999 at our local university to an Amnesty International group; and last week showed it to a group of human rights activists, to commemorate all those unknown people who lost their lives in the struggle for democracy, and to remember the courage of all who participated in those events.