Boulder International Film Festival - Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly

Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous artist and activist, recalls his father Ai Qing receiving an anonymous postcard during his long years in a Chinese labor camp, commemorating the publication of Ai Qing’s most famous poem. His father took great solace in the card, and Ai Weiwei never forgot it. Many years later, Ai Weiwei designed “Yours Truly,” a monumental art installation in Alcatraz Prison that included portraits—in Lego-blocks—of 172 persons currently jailed for crimes of conscience in the world. Included were thousands of pick-up postcards addressed to the prisoners. Nearly a million people attended the exhibition, and 92,000 postcards were mailed. In interviews with released prisoners, we discover the surprising effect that the postcards had on their lives, and see how small acts can lead to significant change.

Christy McGill in person