Consisting of footage shot by the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of family members of those killed during the violent crackdown on the 1989 Democracy Movement, Portraits of Loss and the Quest for Justice presents the stories of six victims told by their family members, and of two survivors told by themselves.

In the absence of official accounting of the casualties of June Fourth, these stories humanize a tragic episode in contemporary China that the government has continued to suppress for nearly a quarter century.

These individuals are:

Since the early 1990s, the Tiananmen Mothers have documented 202 individuals who were killed in the crackdown but believe the actual number to be in the thousands. For more than two decades, the group has presented the Chinese government with three demands: the truth of what happened, compensation to the victims’ families and survivors, and accountability for the government’s actions. The government has never responded to the group.

Since its premiere in 2009 at the Asia Society in New York, Portraits of Loss has been screened in Brussels, Geneva, Hong Kong, Paris, and Yerevan.

For more information on the Tiananmen Mothers, see:

2013

• Hope Fades as Despair Draws Near: Essay by the Tiananmen Mothers on the 24th Anniversary of the June Fourth Tragedy, May 31, 2013
• Tiananmen Mothers Appeal for Legal Resolution of June Fourth Issue, Feb. 27, 2013

2012

• Commemorating the 23rd Anniversary of the Passing of the Victims of the 1989 June Fourth Crackdown: Essay by the Tiananmen Mothers, May 31, 2012
• 73-Year-Old Member of Tiananmen Mothers Commits Suicide, May 27, 2012
• Tiananmen Mothers Urge Government Dialogue to Resolve June Fourth Massacre, Feb. 29, 2012

2011

• For All Families of June Fourth Victims: Justice Must Accompany Compensation, June 3, 2011
• “The Souls of Those Killed during June Fourth Shall Not Be Defiled; Their Families Shall Not Be Dishonored”: Essay by the Tiananmen Mothers, May 30, 2011

2010

• “An Offering to the Spirits of the Victims”: Essay by the Tiananmen Mothers, June 1, 2010
• In Statement, Tiananmen Mothers Urge Government to Open Up the Internet, March 10, 2010
•  “We Must Let ‘June Fourth’ Become a Topic of Public Discussion in the Media and on the Internet” (Tiananmen Mothers), March 4, 2010

2009

• Let Our Children’s Lives Continue through Us: Interview with Ding Zilin, CRF 2009, No.2
• Tiananmen Mothers: Public Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the June Fourth Massacre, May 27, 2009
• In Open Letter, Tiananmen Mothers Urge China's Leaders to Investigate June 4, Feb.26, 2009
• Please Show Courage, Break the Taboo, Face "June Fourth" Head On (Tiananmen Mothers), Feb. 26, 2009
• Support the Tiananmen Mothers, June Fourth: 1989-2009

2008

• “Tiananmen Mothers” Website Blocked in China, May 28, 2008
• Congratulations to the Tiananmen Mothers on the Establishment of their Website, May 27, 2008
• “Tiananmen Mothers” Publish Maps Including Locations of June Fourth Victims' Deaths, May 27, 2008
• FAQ on June Fourth, CRF 2008, No. 2- June 4
• Take Action: Tiananmen: 2008 and Beyond, CRF 2008, No.2-June 4
• Appeals for Justice, CRF 2008, No. 2- June 4
• Chinese Authorities Should Respond to Calls for Dialogue by the Tiananmen Mothers, Feb. 27, 2008

2007

• Tiananmen Mothers Roundtable Calls for Official Accountability, May 31, 2007
• Tiananmen Mothers Call for End to Censorship over June 4th Crackdown, Feb. 27, 2007

2006

• Tiananmen Mothers Renew Calls for Justice for June 4th Crackdown, May 28, 2006
• Tiananmen Mothers Call for Release of Donated Funds, Feb. 27, 2006

2005

• June 4th Families Charge Double Standard Re Nanking Massacre, May 5, 2005
• Tiananmen Families Renew Calls for Redress as EU Considers Lifting Arms Embargo, Feb. 28, 2005

2004

• Tiananmen Mothers Appeal for Public Pressure on the Chinese Authorities, May 28, 2004
• A feature article on the Tiananmen Mothers, Apr. 05, 2004
• HRIC Condemns Arrest of Ding Zilin and Others, March 29, 2004

2003

• The Tiananmen Mothers' open letter to comrades in Hong Kong, July 10, 2003
• 14th Anniversary: Tiananmen Mothers Campaign letter to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, May 29, 2003
• 14th Anniversary: An open letter to the new Chinese leadership, May 29, 2003
• 14th Anniversary: An open letter to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, May 29, 2003
• A Dozen People Still Missing Since June 4th, Say Tiananmen Mothers, March 3, 2003

2002

• Tiananmen Mothers Petition China's 16th Party Congress, Nov. 14, 2002
• Mothers of Tiananmen Victims Call for Public Inquiry, Nov.18, 2002
• Security tight for June 4 anniversary, June 4, 2002
• Families of June 4 victims demand accountability, March 1, 2002

2001

• Tiananmen Mothers speak on the 12th anniversary of June 4 Massacre, June 4, 2001

2000

• Li Peng lawsuit pretrial conference set for Friday - Tiananmen Mothers issue statement in support, Oct.11, 2000
• Li Peng should address June 4 Massacre; Tiananmen mothers' petition endorsed by 20,000 worldwide, August 30, 2000
• June Fourth victims demand exclusion of Li Peng, August 23, 2000
• Tiananmen Mothers seek global support for campaign to end impunity, June 2, 2000
• Tiananmen families demand an answer to their request for a criminal investigation, May 30, 2000
• Stop persecution of Ding Zilin and June Fourth mothers, April 3, 2000
• Ding Zilin protests block on June Fourth funds, Feb. 9, 2000
• State security authorities extort June Fourth funds, Feb. 9, 2000

1999

• Victims collect evidence for prosecution of June Fourth crimes launch unprecedented legal action, June 1, 1999

1998

• Urgent appeal against of illegal freezing of June 4 humanitarian assistance funds, Oct.27, 1998