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Most Capitol staffers are kept more than busy enough by their day jobs. But last year, while serving as legislative director for Assemblyman Guy Houston, Keith Ochwat moonlighted managing a documentary project being filmed in China.

While Ochwat spent long days staffing bills and long nights raising money and keeping track of expenses, his creative partner, Chris Rufo, was dodging the Chinese secret police.

“You see the guy who is always hanging around your building,” Rufo said. “When you leave, he leaves.”

Over nine months of filming, Rufo sought to slip the eyes of the authorities by growing facial hair, hiding behind buildings and jumping on and off of buses. He came back with the footage for “Diamond in the Dunes,” a documentary set in an area of western desert area of the country that was only conquered by the Chinese government in 1949.