Ai Weiwei has agreed to be in The Sandstorm (???), a 10-minute sci-fi thriller directed by the former head of video for TED Talks Jason Wishnow.
In the film, the artist plays a smuggler who travels across a world without water. Because Ai Weiwei has been under surveillance by the Chinese government since 2009, filming took place somewhat discreetly in Beijing, so as not to draw too much attention to the artist, and specifically on the smoggiest days. “When the air is toxic and your lead actor is under surveillance,” Wishnow wrote on the page of his Kickstarter campaign, “you make a short film and you shoot it fast.”
The campaign aims to raise US$33,000 by May 3rd. At press time, 653 backers had contributed $28,262. The crowd-funded cash will go towards visual effects, sound design, music, subtitles, and other production costs, targeting a June release for backers. More over at ArtNet.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wishnow/a-secret-sci-fi-film-shot-in-china-starring-ai-wei/
