They Chose China
2005
52 min
Coming soon
In this feature documentary, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Shuibo Wang (Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square) aims his camera at the astonishing story of 21 American soldiers who opted to stay in China after the Korean War ended in 1954. Back home in the United States, McCarthyism was at its height and many Americans believed these men were brainwashed by Chinese communists. But what really happened? Using never-before-seen footage from the Chinese camps and interviews with former PoWs and their families, They Chose China tells the fascinating stories of these forgotten American dissidents.
Details
In this feature documentary, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Shuibo Wang (Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square) aims his camera at the astonishing story of 21 American soldiers who opted to stay in China after the Korean War ended in 1954. Back home in the United States, McCarthyism was at its height and many Americans believed these men were brainwashed by Chinese communists. But what really happened? Using never-before-seen footage from the Chinese camps and interviews with former PoWs and their families, They Chose China tells the fascinating stories of these forgotten American dissidents.
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participationDavid HawkinsDella AdamsLin AdamsJessica AdamsRichard WestbrookBai XirongShaolei VenerisShaoxia VenerisLu WenxinCheng ShaokunHao ZhanjunLi HonglinLiu XuanzhenLu BinPan ChongyuanQian MeideSu YunbaoWang YoufenWu DashouWu HenianWu JunXia FangminZhou Shanqun
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directorShui-Bo Wang
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producerClaude Bonin
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executive producerÉric MichelPaul Saadoun
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associate producerJoanne CarrièreVéronique Rabuteau
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editorRagnar Van Leyden
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director of photographySylvestre Guidi
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production managerJelena PopovicLi Pei
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researchPascale Bilodeau
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original musicPeter Chase
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narration - writerShui-Bo WangDonald McWilliams
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narratorShui-Bo Wang
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stock shot researchPascale BilodeauElizabeth KlinckTanya Fleet
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archives off-line conformValérie PrécourtGuillaume Millet
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translationLi Yu
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subtitlesLi YuKathleen Fee
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interpreterXiaodan He
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sound engineerZhang YongSylvain Vary
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voice directorKathleen Fee
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voice castingKathleen Fee
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voice recordingKathleen Fee
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recordingGeoffrey Mitchell
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voiceJoanna NoyesKelly RicardLuis de CespedesPaul Stewart
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sound editorDaniel Toussaint
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re-recordingLuc Léger
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digital editing technicianOchelle GreenidgeCarole LalondeMartine Forget
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image processingPierre LandryLouise Overy
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titlesGaspard Gaudreau
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online editorDenis PilonFrançoise Laprise
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post-production co-ordinatorJean-Pierre St-MichelAndrée Delagrave
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administratorMaryse Chapdelaine
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administrator - assistantIsabelle de BellefeuilleNathalie Cloutier
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project coordinatorBrigitte Couture
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production teamCatherine FrebourgClarisse GattiMarie-Christine GelySandra MoellaMalik Menaï
Education
Ages 14 to 17
Civics/Citizenship - Ideologies
History and Citizenship Education - Civil Rights and Freedoms
Have a discussion to see if the class agrees that some of the men stayed behind because they were going to have a better life than if they returned to the United States. Ask students if they would make the same decision and why. One of the POWs said he does not "think we have the right to interfere in a civil war in another country when it's not even close to our own shore". What do students think about that comment given the circumstances today (war in Afghanistan)? Should North America interfere with foreign domestic conflicts?
