The Gate of Heavenly Peace

D: Richard Gordon + Carma Hinton, documentary, USA 1995, 190 min., German subtitles

The protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing lasted from April to June 1989, and culminated in a brutal massacre on 4 June. Students, working-class people, teachers and pupils reflect upon both the drama and the absurdity and sheer scale of the tragedy. Tiananmen was and remains a historical rupture. All of the interviews focus on how these events have changed China. The film was controversial months before it was completed.