ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
China 1972. A forbidden fruit. Nixon nudges the door open. Three months later, Joan Cohen lands in Beijing with her own forbidden fruit—artistic freedom—and ignites an artistic revolution.

SYNOPSIS
“Painting The Chinese Dream,” curated by Joan Cohen in 1982, was the first major exhibition of new Chinese painting in the United States. For American audiences, this was their first view of a new, bold China yearning for artistic freedom. The two nations seemed to be reaching out to each other across a vast ideological sea.

This documentary tells the story of the journey behind that extraordinary exhibit, an exhibit that was the hallmark of a unique period of détente between the U.S. and Communist China, an era that now seems so innocent and hopeful.

On the Cohens’ first visit in 1972, China’s Cultural Revolution still has four years to run. The Chinese people are warm but wary. Joan’s request to meet with artists is denied.

In the honeymoon spirit following normalization of relations between the United States and China, Joan is invited to lecture on modern Western art at the famous Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Seeing the work of Frank Stella and Willem de Kooning for the first time shakes many of the artists present and inspires them to challenge the codes of “official art” and the propaganda objective of Socialist Realism. Spontaneous manifestations demanding artistic freedom are springing up across China, and Joan’s Western art slide shows have played a crucial role. It’s 1979, Jerry and Joan Cohen are now living and working in China. Jerry is teaching International Law to susceptible government officials; the last thing he needs is for his wife to rock the boat!

“People of my generation were longing for art free from stereotyped hero figures that whitewashed reality,” says Chinese artist Tang Muli, who witnessed Joan’s lectures and can testify to their seismic impact.

In the conformist world of the People’s Republic, art would never be the same.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Nicola Zavaglia
PRODUCER Nicola Zavaglia, Kamel Khalifa
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Rene Balcer, Carolyn Hsu-Balcer, Jerome Cohen

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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