1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

«1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows» - the memories of one of the most influential artists and activists of our time, Ai Weiwei, against the backdrop of the dramatic events in Chinese history over the past century.

The son of the outstanding Chinese poet Ai Qing, who was repressed during the years of the «cultural revolution», Ai Weiwei shared his family's fate in exile and now, recalling the haunting images of a traumatic childhood, tries to understand the connection of the times. He talks about his own similar experiences of violence and humiliation, about the difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America - where he later becomes friends with Allen Ginsberg, is inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, and the works of Marcel Duchamp. Candidly and wittily, he describes the details of his return to his homeland and his development - from an unknown artist to a superstar of the global art scene and an international human rights advocate, showing how his creativity was influenced by life under a totalitarian regime.