The dysfunctional Chinese justice system allows citizens with grievances against their local governments to petition the court to clear or correct their record. Yet in order to do so, the petitioners must travel to Beijing to file paperwork and wait an indefinite period to plead their case. Following the saga of a group of petitioners over the years of 1996 and 2008, Petition unfolds like a novel by Zola or Dickens. This was filmed surreptitiously from the point of view of the petitioners, and not the justice officials, the police, or those heavies sent by the municipalities.
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Zhao Liang Director
United States release January 14, 2011 · Produced in China · Languages Chinese, English
Production
YLE
Production
BBC
Production
TSR
Production
ARTE France Cinéma
Production
RTBF
Production
CNC
Production
INA
Production
BBC Film
Studio
Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée
Production
Institut National de l'Audiovisuel
Production
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone
Production
Télévision Suisse-Romande
Production
China
Produced in
Languages
Original title
上访
Original language
Chinese
Spoken on screen
Chinese · English
Release dates
France · May 22, 2009
Theatrical
United States · January 14, 2011
Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.