Edition 2025
78'
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2025
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Documentary, Music/Musical
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Format:
DCP
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Dialogue:
Italian
There's a first time for everything—so Chinese multidisciplinary artist Ai Weiwei took on a new challenge: his debut as an opera director. A film crew followed every step of the meticulous preparation. Ai Weiwei's Turandot offers not only a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, but also a rare glimpse into the mind and spirit of China's most renowned artistic dissident.
Visual art, photography, documentaries, books, architecture—is there any artistic discipline Ai Weiwei hasn't tackled? Since 2022, opera can be crossed off the list too, as he directed Puccini's Turandot at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Not everyone was taken with his choice to push the love story into the background in favour of a bold statement about the world's oppressed. But few could deny that Ai delivered a striking and highly original production, driven by a deeply personal vision. Ai Weiwei's Turandot, directed by Italy-based filmmaker Maxim Derevianko, follows the creation of that opera. It offers a rare behin-the-scenes look normally hidden from music and opera lovers, while also providing broad insight into the artistic, political, and social motivations of China's most renowned contemporary artist.
Image gallery
Credits
Directors
Maxim Derevianko
Cast
Ai Weiwei, Chiang Ching, Oksana Lyniv
Scenario
Maxim Derevianko, Michele Cogo
Director of Photography
Maxim Derevianko
Editors
Emanuele Bonomi
Producers
Marta Zaccaron, Christine LaMonte, Andy Cohen
Production studios
Incipit Film, La Monte Productions
Distributor
Dalton Distribution
More info
Dialogue
Italian
Countries of production
Italy
Year
2025
Filmography
Maxim Derevianko
Bodypieces (short, 2013), Cellos & Drums (2018), Le creature di prometeo (2021), Origen (2021), Ai Weiwei’s Turandot (2024)
Technical Specs
Format
DCP
