Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to the documentary "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," the company said Tuesday.
Alison Klayman directed the Sundance documentary about Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei. The company plans to distribute it this summer, to coincide with Weiwei's first trip outside China since that country's government locked him up.
Ai uses art and social media to express himelf and organize others. Chinese authorities responded by shutting down his blog, beating him, bulldozing his studio and holding him in secret detention.
"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" is his story.
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Klayman is a first-time director who gained access to Ai while working as a journalist in China.
"Alison Klayman has delivered a major achievement in documentary filmmaking with this story about the importance of Ai Weiwei in his fight with the Chinese government for greater transparency and basic human rights," Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films said in a written statement.
Arianna Bocco, senior VP acquisitions and productions at Sundance Selects/IFC Films, negotiated the deal with John Sloss andDana O'Keefe of Cinetic Media and Victoria Cook of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz for the filmmakers and United Expression Media.