FRONTLINE

http://www.pbs.org/frontline/

- This Week: "The Tank Man" (90 minutes),
Tuesday, Apr. 11 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings)
- Inside FRONTLINE: Filming in China
- Live Discussion: Chat with producer Antony Thomas Wed. April 12 at
11am ET

It's too bad China's President Hu Jintao isn't scheduled to visit the
U.S. until next week. He will miss a chance to see this week's
FRONTLINE, "The Tank Man." The documentary, produced by veteran
filmmaker Antony Thomas, recalls the iconic photo of a single Chinese
man who literally stood up against a column of army tanks as it made its
way into the heart of Beijing after the 1989 uprising in Tiananmen
Square had been crushed. Thomas wondered if he could find out what
happened to 'tank man' and the promise of freedom he has come to
symbolize.

In a journey that includes a trip to China, Thomas uses the story of
'tank man' to tell a second story about a nation undergoing huge
changes. China has embraced a wide open free-market capitalism that has
vaulted the economy ahead, creating a huge new middle class and growing
tension with those left behind. But this economic freedom has not meant
political freedom. Indeed, the current leadership seems more determined
than ever to control information. The Chinese government censors
television and newspapers and can use Western technology from companies
like Cisco to crack down on dissidents. The government also compels
Western internet companies doing business in China - Google, Yahoo,
Microsoft - to keep certain ideas and history from the Chinese people,
including the picture and story of 'tank man.'

To film in China one must either agree to have 'minders' and make your
film under their watchful eye, or shoot illegally and risk arrest.
Thomas went in officially, and yet even with the 'minders' he was able
to reveal a portrait of the tensions within China that are not well
understood in the West. Thomas talked to me about how he did it:

..."If you take the "official route" and are still determined to get
shots that are essential to the story, you have two major concerns.
First, there are the "minders" -- sometimes as many as five of them,
standing behind the camera and watching every shot. You also have a
responsibility to your interpreter, who is freelance and a Chinese
resident, and must not be compromised by being party to anything
"unofficial". On several occasions, the film team slipped out by itself
in the early morning or on our "days-off" to get the shots we needed. A
friend of mine, who is a Beijing resident, warned us that in these
"unofficial" outings, the best we could expect was confiscation of the
tape, but far worse was possible. Luckily, we never ran into trouble."

To appreciate what Thomas was able to achieve under difficult
circumstances, I hope you will join us for "The Tank Man" next Tuesday.
And then visit our Web site for more on the story, including a
roundtable on whether China can bring the internet to heel and analysis
of why Tiananmen 1989 was a momentous turning point for the Chinese
government and people. And, take the opportunity to watch our report
again online and express your opinion about it at
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/tankman/

Louis Wiley Jr.
Executive Editor

--------------------------
+ Live Online Discussion on Washingtonpost.com ...

Producer Antony Thomas will be online this Wednesday, April 12 at 11am
ET, to discuss "The Tank Man"

For details, see:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/04/05/DI2006040501776.html