When Night Falls (2012 film)
When Night Falls is a docudrama from Chinese independent film director Ying Liang. The film is based on the real-life criminal case of Yang Jia, a Chinese man who killed six police officers after being arrested and beaten for riding a bicycle without a license. After the film's screening, threats of arrest from Chinese authorities resulted in Ying being exiled from Shanghai. Ying won best director at the Locarno Film Festival. Plot summary The film focuses on a partly fictionalized account of the real-life case of a Chinese man who killed six policemen after he was continually harassed by them. The incident started after he was beaten and taken into custody for riding a bicycle without a license. The plot is from his mother's perspective. Production The film is based on the criminal case of a Chinese man named Yang Jia, who was arrested and beaten because he rode a bicycle without a license. Despite repeated complaints by Yang Jia, the police would not stop their harassment. As a result, Yang Jia killed six policemen with a knife and later received a death sentence. Film director Ying Liang said that he could relate to the incident and said, "When I