About the film
Disturbing the Peace is a 2009 documentary film directed by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. In the film, Ai Weiwei and Pu Zhiqiang speak with police to find out what happened to a female colleague after a police raid. Their conversations take place while they are traveling to Chengdu as witnesses in the trial of civil rights advocate Tan Zuoren.
The film runs for 78 minutes and comes from the People’s Republic of China. Ai Weiwei is both the maker and director, giving the documentary a clear connection to his artistic and filmmaking work. Its subject is an inquiry involving police action, a missing colleague and attendance at a civil-rights trial.
As a documentary film, it records this search through the participants’ discussions with police and the circumstances surrounding their journey to Chengdu.
Who it is for
It suits viewers interested in Ai Weiwei, Chinese documentary filmmaking, police investigations and civil-rights cases. Students studying documentary approaches to contemporary events may also find its focused premise useful.
Worth knowing
- Directed by Ai Weiwei
- Features discussions with police
- Centers on a specific unanswered event
- Connects to Tan Zuoren’s civil-rights trial
- 78-minute runtime
Before you press play
- Released in 2009
- Available facts identify only the People’s Republic of China
- Focuses on a police raid and missing colleague
The short of it
Disturbing the Peace follows Ai Weiwei and Pu Zhiqiang as they question police about a colleague after a raid. Its 78-minute length and direct connection to a civil-rights trial make it a concise documentary about a specific investigation.