Free China: The Courage to Believe
Free China: The Courage to Believe
Perlman wrote, produced and directed “Free China: The Courage To Believe.” The film was a coproduction with NTD Television, the largest independent Chinese television station. The film has been theatrically released across the US and had more than one thousand screenings worldwide including US Congress, European Parliament, British Parliament and Google Headquarters. The New York Times praised the film as “Stirring Narrative Power.” and Karen Curry, former CNN New York Bureau Chief has hailed the film as “Intensely compelling…extraordinary.”
The film examines the widespread human rights violations in China through the stories of Jennifer Zeng, a mother and former Communist Party member and Dr. Charles Lee, a Chinese American businessman, who along with hundreds of thousands of peaceful citizens are tortured and subject to slave labor, producing products exported to department stores throughout the United States. The film also exposes the multi-billion dollar organ harvesting trade where prisoners are killed so their organs are sold to unwitting Westerners desperate for a transplant and what can be done to stop this horrific practice.
The film document how Cisco sold technology to China that allows the police to arrest American inspired pro-democracy activists. This same technology is implemented by the Chinese military to conduct cyber attacks against the US government and American businesses. The film also highlights new technologies, developed in America, that allows free information and communication inside China as well as other closed societies.
- 86th Academy Oscar Contender for Best Documentary, Best Original Score and Song (2014)
- International Winner – Feature Documentary at the 12th Annual Garden State Film Festival (Atlantic City, NJ, April 6th, 2014)
- Best Documentary at the 2014 NOIDA International Film Festival (India, Feb. 9th 2014)
- Best Song for Indie Film/Documentary/Short at the 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Los Angeles, Nov 21st 2013)
- Best Program at Open Film Festival Travno (Zabreb, Croatia July 2013)
- Best Feature Film at IX International Short Film Festival – FENACO (Peru, Nov 17th 2012)
- “Best of the Fest” at Freethought International Film Festival (Denver, August 3rd 2012)
- Winner at American Insight Free Speech Film Festival (Philadelphia May 16th 2012)
- Top Award in category (international political and cultural documentaries) at LA Awareness Film Festival(May 6th and Nov 4th 2012 in Venice, CA)
- Top Award (documentaries under 60 min.) at 45th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival (April 21st 2012)
- Nominated: ‘Best Sound Track Album’ 2012 Hollywood Music in Media Awards
- Official Selection at 2013 CAM International Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt (Oct 2013)
- Official Selection at 2013 International Human Rights Film Festival in Albania (Sep 29th, 2013)
- Official Selection at 2013 Millenium International Documentary Film Festival in Belgium (June, 2013)
- Official Selection at the 15th East Lansing Film Festival in 2012
- Official Selection at the 17th Palm Beach International Film Festival in 2012
- Official Selection at the 2012 Ottawa International Film Festival
- Official Selection at the 2012 Ottawa Free Thinking Film Festival
- Official Selection at the 2012 LA Indie Film Festival
