It is always difficult for me to ask for help. However, it is easy for me to
say: "Thank you."
In the last 24 hours over 300 Chinese have stepped forward to support this
film, and over $20,000.00 has been received(from Mitbbs.com and other Chinese media/websites.) . This is amazing! I am truly humbled. I am honored.
At this rate, I would estimate that by the end of this week it will be: The
Chinese 1000 to the Rescue!
By the end of this week, if donations continue at this pace, we will surely
have raised enough money to pay the licensing renewal fees and all
associated expenses.
It feels wonderful to be rescued! And all of you have rescued this film, so
that, hopefully, it can stay online forever.
When I wrote my letter, informing the world that I had "given up" and was "
washing my hands of this", everything connected with this film seemed
hopeless. Every DVD distributor in the US had turned me down.
In China, Chinese authorities had refused to allow me to show this film in
theaters, on TV, and had even refused to allow me to sell the DVD of this
film.
Although this film has been seen by over 4 million people, and is ranked in
the Top 10 "Most Discussed Films of All Time" at Youtube.com, and can only
be considered an amazing success, financially it was a complete failure and
could never pay for itself. The fact that this is a great film about an
important event in history, made this failure hurt all that much more.
And then there are the hate messages.
Almost every day someone posts or sends me something hateful about this film
. Almost every week I get messages like: "You will die like Iris Chang."
I can only imagine what Iris Chang must have gone through. It is extremely
stressful to be attacked on a daily basis. She sacrificed her life for this
cause and I can understand the misery she must have been going through.
So, when I wrote that letter, I wanted only to bring this to an end and to
stop the threats, the insults, and to escape from all the financial problems
and misery.
Then, to my astonishment, the Chinese people to the rescue.
I am amazed at the tremendous response of the Chinese community, including
the hundreds of impoverished students who stepped forward to save this movie.
However, let me emphasize: This is NOT my movie. It belongs to the Chinese
people and it belongs to the world. This movie belongs to every one of you.
So, on behalf of the world, let me say: Thank you.
