You can add another name to the list of filmmakers persecuted for their use of cinema as a device for telling the truth. Dhondup Wangchen isn't as well known internationally as Jafar Panahi or Mohammed Rasoulof, both currently prisoners of the Iranian government. Indeed, I had never heard ot Wangchen until I received an e-mail from Amnesty International about his current plight, and have never seen his work. As Amnesty explains:
Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen is serving a six-year prison sentence in China for "subversion of state power" -- simply because he dared to speak out about Tibetan human rights through his filmmaking. Demand his release now!
China has detained hundreds of Tibetans for peacefully exercising their human rights or for taking part in protests since 2008. Recently, Tibetan activists have set themselves on fire in protest of restrictions on basic freedoms and punitive security measures. The Chinese government has responded to the protests with mass arrests, imprisonment, and possible killings by security forces.
Dhondup Wangchen suffers from Hepatitis B and has not received the medical treatment he needs. It has been difficult to obtain reliable information about his condition.
This is a bit more serious than fighting with your producer over final cut. I urge you to go to Amnesty's action page and add your voice to the chorus of disapproval.
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