A film by Jawad Mir

In Search of My Sister

When Uyghur rights activist Rushan Abbas' sister goes missing, she rallies thousands of Uyghurs from around the world and draws global media attention to the plight of Uyghurs in China as she tries to find the truth behind her sister's disappearance.

Sky Blue Productions

Official Trailer

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Rushan Abbas speaking at a podium

The Film

Synopsis

When Uyghur rights activist Rushan Abbas' sister goes missing, she rallies thousands of Uyghurs from around the world and draws global media attention to the plight of Uyghurs in China, as she tries to find the truth behind her sister's disappearance.

Her activism garners attention from world leaders including prominent US senators from both sides of the aisle, Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio, who are instrumental in passing the "Forced Labour Prevention Act" in the U.S. Senate. The Act aims to hold China accountable for its forced labour of Uyghurs.

Eventually Rushan finds her answer: her sister was accused and convicted of state terrorism and sent to 20 years in a detention camp. Reports indicate the camps are used to rape, torture, sterilize and enslave an entire ethnic population in an attempt to silence and subjugate them.

Rushan and her allies and supporters across the globe demand the release of her sister and over 1.8–3 million Uyghurs from Chinese concentration camps.

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Stills

Background

History

In 1956, Uyghurs made up 82.7% of Xinjiang province compared to 6.2% Han Chinese. By 2008, the Han Chinese share had risen to 39.2%, while Uyghurs held 46.1%.

Uyghurs live in Xinjiang, culturally and ethnically closer to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan than to Han China. The Islamic Republic of East Turkistan was established in 1933, and again with Soviet help in 1944, before being handed to China in 1949. Today Xinjiang holds 40% of China's coal reserves.

Credits

The Team

Jawad Mir

Jawad Mir

Director · Producer

Filmmaker who has directed and produced several feature documentaries including Citizen of Moria, In Search of My Sister, Only 78, Baristas and Escape from Manus Island. Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and The Orchard; screened at Holocaust museums and US embassies worldwide.

Hemal Trivedi

Hemal Trivedi

Producer

Internationally celebrated filmmaker for over 15 years. Her work has won an Oscar, three Emmys and seven Emmy nominations, with broadcasts on Netflix, HBO, PBS (Frontline, Independent Lens), YouTube Red and Channel 4.

Roger Singh

Roger Singh

Cinematographer

Award-winning DP in documentary and commercial. Shot Baristas (#1 on iTunes), a Somali pirates doc acquired by HBO, and served as DP on Becoming You for Apple TV+.

FeaturingRushan Abbas
ProductionSky Blue Productions
Edited byHemal Trivedi and Jawad Mir
MusicDavid Fesliyan
Runtime80 minutes
Year2022
LanguageEnglish, Uyghur

Audience Reactions

What People Are Saying

"One of the most heart breaking documentaries I have ever seen."
"A very important film in this day and age… Needs NETFLIX status!"
"A chilling film. I still have goosebumps."
Euronews

Euronews

"Uyghur activist screens film on sister's disappearance in Brussels"

Read Article
Morehouse College Human Rights Film FestivalOfficial Selection · 2022
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This Human World FestivalOfficial Selection · Vienna

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