Contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is filmed in his daily fight for freedom of expression.

Picture gallery

Architect, painter, sculptor and photographer, Ai Weiwei broke a Ming vase on camera. He investigated the 5000 children who died in the ruins of their schools during the earthquake in Sichuan (2008). He proclaimed “Fuck you motherland” during his “So sorry” show in Munich (2009). He filled a room in the Tate Modern with 100 million ceramic sunflower seeds (2010). He blogged every day. Until he was held in prison for 81 days in 2011, he tweeted. His goal: to call for more transparency, to inform. Even if it meant putting his life in danger.

The young director Alison Klayman expertly shows where the artist's strength lies. In New York in the 80's, Ai Weiwei photographed everything through the prism of his sharp eye. Whenever possible, he films and posts on the Internet. His ability to bounce back when faced with hostility is fascinating. When the authorities decided to tear down the studio he had just built, he invited people to a party before the demolition. Politics or art? Both, in a country where freedom of expression is a courageous political act.