AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY -- Alison Klayman Interview

Also in the Behind the Scenes series

The Hitchock Nine -- SF Silent Film Festival Anita Monga Interview (24:10)
From: Andrea Chase

San Francisco Silent Film Festival Artistic Director Anita Monga talks innovation, creativity, and why Hitchcock proved his genius in the first frames of his very first film.

THE EAST -- Zal Batmanglij Interview (10:24)
From: Andrea Chase

Zal Batmanglij talks tribes, alienation, and being soft enough.

THE KINGS OF SUMMER -- Moises Arias, Nick Robinson & Gabriel Basso Interview (10:17)
From: Andrea Chase

Moises Arias, Nick Robinson & Gabriel Basso talk chemistry reads, pipe dancing, and facing Nick Offerman.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING -- Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker Interview (09:03)
From: Andrea Chase

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof talk having no fear, short shooting schedules, and staircase soliloquies.

REBELS WITH A CAUSE -- Nancy Kelly Interview (24:05)
From: Andrea Chase

Nancy Kelly talks cause, effect, and how saving the Marin Headlands paved the way for Alice Waters.

WHAT MAISIE KNEW -- David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Onata Aprile Interview (10:32)
From: Andrea Chase

Scott McGehee, David Siegel, and Onata Aprile talk framing shots, casting children, and climbing Alexander Skarsgard like a tree.

FRANCES HA -- Greta Gerwig Interview (10:38)
From: Andrea Chase

Greta Gerwig talks the addictive quality of multiple takes, the lightness of muscle memory, and keeping secrets from the cast.

AT ANY PRICE -- Ramin Bahrani Interview (17:52)
From: Andrea Chase

Ramin Bahrani talks corporate corruption, Roger Ebert’s friendship, and calling Werner Herzog for advice.

STORIES WE TELL -- Sarah Polley Interview (08:48)
From: Andrea Chase

Sarah Polley talks relative truth, the privilege being quiet, and narrative as a tonic for bewilderment.

SIMON KILLER -- Antonio Campos Interview (21:18)
From: Andrea Chase

Antonio Campos talks religious prostitutes, music as plot point, and the choreography of life.

Related Pieces

Intro and Outro

Andrea Chase takes you Behind the Scenes of AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY with filmmaker Alison Klayman. AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY is her documentary about the eponymous mainland Chinese artist and activist, known for his artwork’s highly conceptual, not to mention confrontational, nature. In the name of art, he has smashed Han dynasty pottery and taken pictures of a raised finger in front of Beijing’s Forbidden City. Ai was one of the designers of the famous Bird’s Nest stadium built for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but he went on to denounce the Chinese government’s actions around the games and the country’s preparations for them. He also ran into trouble for his blog, in which he spoke out against injustices, and which was subsequently shut down by the government. Undeterred, he got around this by using his Twitter account to continue his criticisms, and to document his own run-ins with the authorities, including a beating from local police that led to his need for brain surgery. Klayman, who is fluent in Mandarin, spent two years with the artist, filming his private life in China, as well as the opening of his art exhibits overseas. Klayman spoke with me by cell-phone from her home in New York.

Andrea Chase has taken you Behind the Scenes of AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY with filmmaker Alison Klayman.