Ascension

Introduced by producer Kira Simon-Kennedy in person, with screening followed by taped Q&A with director Jessica Kingdon and DP/producer Nathan Truesdell

Dir. Jessica Kingdon. United States. 2021, 78 mins. DCP. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Ascension reveals China’s growing class divide through an impressionistic portrait of the country’s industrial supply chain, offering staggering observations of labor, consumerism, and wealth. In traveling up the rungs of China’s social ladder—from the workers running factory production, to the middle class training for and selling to aspirational consumers, to the elites reveling in a new level of hedonistic enjoyment—the film shows how each level supports and makes possible the next and acknowledges that the contemporary “Chinese Dream” remains an elusive fantasy for most. An MTV Documentary Films release.

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for MoMI members ($9–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.