DAYA CAHEN
Eyes of the Machine
video, 76 min, 2025
One woman's battle against China's surveillance State
Eyes of the Machine weaves together propaganda footage from Chinese state media, leaked police photographs, and the compelling eyewitness testimony of Kalbinur Sidik. Risking her own life and that of her loved ones, Sidik speaks openly about the repression of the Uyghur populationin Xinjiang (East Turkestan) — a reality the Chinese state denies and censors.
As an ethnic Uzbek who grew up within the Uyghur community, Sidik testifies to the methods through which the Chinese state seeks to erase an entire people. Her memories of the dehumanizing internment camps stand in stark contrast to the state propaganda describing them as “training centers” where extremist ideas are supposedly eradicated. This state control even extends into private homes, through a program that forces families to host Communist Party officials in their houses.
Three months after fleeing to the Netherlands in 2019, her Uyghur husband—who had to remain in China—disappeared without a trace. “If I ever see my husband and family again, I will ask them for forgiveness,” Sidik says. Despite the grave risks her openness entails, remaining silent is not an option. She feels a moral duty to bear witness to the ethnic cleansing taking place in her homeland.
At a time when China’s digital surveillance is expanding beyond its borders, Eyes of the Machine poignantly exposes what happens when technology and totalitarian control merge—penetrating the most private corners of people’s lives.
Director Daya Cahen
Producer Daya Cahen
Camera Daya Cahen
Additional Camera Sander Snoep
Sound Daya Cahen
Mark Wessner
Editing Daya Cahen
Sounddesign Hugo Dijkstal
Postproduction Amator
This film was kindly supported by
Mondriaan Fund
Stichting Niemijer Fund
Cultuurfonds
Amarte Fonds
