Director and Producer Ai WeiWei wanted the film's purpose to pose the question, "Will our global society emerge from fear, isolation, and self-interest and choose a path of openness, freedom, and respect for humanity?"
Ai Weiwei also comes from a past of displacement; his entire family was exiled to an isolate village of Xinjiang in the Gobi desert due to his parents being writers in the midst of the Cultural Revolution in China.
This documentary was filmed in 23 countries in the course of one year.
The film was made possible by the 200 crew members who followed the stories of displaced refugees around the world.
Niels Pagh Andeson, known for his work in The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, co-edited Ai's film in his Berlin studio.