2021 Nominees

Ask No Questions

Lofty Sky Pictures Inc.

CANADA

- Crime & Investigative

When Chinese state TV blames his faith for a fiery public suicide, Chen Ruichang is detained in a brainwashing facility and forced to accept the government’s account. But Chen, a former insider of the state TV himself, believes it was a government plot. Directors Jason Loftus and Eric Pedicelli track Chen’s harrowing drama as they craft an unsettling true-crime investigation into his claims about the 2001 Tiananmen Self-Immolation, an event with enormous untold impact on Beijing’s ascension on the world stage. The filmmakers are aided by a CNN journalist silenced by Beijing who now helps untangle an intricate conspiracy. In the midst of filming, Chinese security forces go after Jason's business associates and family in China. Ask No Questions shows the power of fake news and a cautionary tale in how hard it can be to come to the truth. Artist-activist Ai Weiwei, summed up the importance of the film: “Darkness must be exposed, and Ask No Questions can play a valuable role."