U.S. Film Premiere of "MAO'S GREAT FAMINE"

The Laogai Museum is pleased to host the U.S. premiere of MAO'S GREAT FAMINE, a documentary exposing the hidden but colossal devastation of Communist China’s failed collectivization.

The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Great Chinese Famine, recorded by Beijing as lasting from 1958 to 1961, but actually extending from 1958 to 1962.  The death of at least 40 million Chinese were not caused by bad weather or foreign plots, but by Mao's unfeasible and reckless agricultural policies during the so-called Great Leap Forward.  As human history's most fatal famine, its death toll exceeded that of both World Wars combined.

The Chinese government has consistently withheld records of the mass devastation, twisting history to shift the blame off of the Communist Party.  French directors Patrick Cabouat and Philippe Grangereau decided to right this wrong, travelling China and recording the tragic stories of the elderly survivors, never before heard outside of China.  With the expertise of Chinese author Yang Jisheng, author of Tombstone, and Dutch professor Frank Dikötter, author of Mao's Great Famine, they have created a world-class documentary.  

Produced by Arturo Mio, it will be shown exclusively at the Laogai Museum (1734 20th St. NW, Washington, 20009), on 15 February 2012, from 6 to 7 p.m. The premiere is part of a larger conference commemorating the Great Famine on February 15 and 16.

Please RSVP to laogai@laogai.org, including your first and last name, and affiliation if applicable.  The event is free, with donations welcome.  Invite your friends on Facebook!