Makers Who Inspire: Li Cunxin

Li Cunxin gained fame and renown for defecting from Mao's China to the United States during the height of the Cold War. Today, he heads the Queensland Ballet as its artistic director. In this documentary he recounts the remarkable events that took him from a peasant boy in Mao's China to one of the most acclaimed ballet dancers in the world, and discusses how it has influenced his work as the head of a ballet company.

  • Henry Thong
    Director
    Makers Who Inspire
  • Henry Thong
    Writer
    Makers Who Inspire
  • Henry Thong
    Producer
    Makers Who Inspire
  • She Shi
    Producer
    Content Censored, Makers Who Inspire
  • Henry Thong
    Cinematographer
    Makers Who Inspire
  • Henry Thong
    Editor
    Makers Who Inspire
  • Josh Warry
    Sound
    Content Censored, Makers Who Inspire
  • Henry Thong
    Sound
    Makers Who Inspire
  • Li Cunxin
    Key Cast
    Mao's Last Dancer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Biography, Documentary, Dance
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 12, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Henry Thong

Henry Thong is a South Australian filmmaker who has produced dozens of short films that have been screened and awarded in Australia, Europe, Africa and the USA.

Henry is the director, creator and producer of Makers Who Inspire: a documentary series profiling the most inspiring artists and creators. To date, Henry has profiled over thirty artists in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Washington DC. These include fashion designer Paul Vasileff of Paolo Sebastian, Time Magazine photographer Ben Baker, New York City Ballet principal dancer Lauren Lovette, and many more.

In the last few months, Henry's work has premiered at Lincoln Center in New York, Milan Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Festival and at numerous other festivals around the world. He is currently working closely with artist and cook Poh Ling Yeow, Crazy Rich Asians comedian Ronny Chieng, author of Mao's Last Dancer Li Cunxin, and writers Benjamin and Michelle Law to produce his fourth season of Makers Who Inspire.

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Director Statement

Art and the creative process is what inspires me. As a documentary filmmaker, I strongly believe that the world is a fascinating enough place without having to create new ones. I aim to marry these passions to explore the nature of artistic practice and creativity.