New | Ai Weiwei locked in spat with director over crowdfunded sci-fi debut

An independent science fiction film starring Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has become the subject of controversy, with Ai claiming that he was misled in lending his name and image to the project.

In a letter directed to director Jason Wishnow on April 23, Ai argued that he had never agreed to be promoted as the star of The Sandstorm, a ten-minute film depicting a smoggy, futuristic China where water has become as scarce as reliable information.

Ai was cast as a water smuggler in the movie, which was shot in early 2013 and raised over US$60,000 from crowdfunding site Kickstarter. The money, collected from more than 2,000 supporters, was meant to go towards promotion and post-production work.

In his letter, Ai wrote that he did not give consent for Wishnow to use his name and image to promote the film. Ai also claimed that he had only agreed to take a minor role in the project and had never been informed that he would be billed as its star.

Watch: Kickstarter trailer for 'The Sandstorm'

“Ai Weiwei considers that you have not only misled him in this regard, but are also potentially deceiving providers of funds to your project as to the extent of Ai Weiwei’s involvement...potentially implicating Ai Weiwei in your deception without his knowledge or consent,” said the letter, drafted by a representative for the artist.