It’s unlikely that anyone faced as much danger
while making their TCFF 2016 film as did
filmmaker Nanfu Wang and her heroic subject,
Chinese human rights activist Ye Haiyan.
Under the pseudonym Hooligan Sparrow,
Haiyan first came to national attention for her
bold campaigns to improve the deplorable
conditions of sex workers and to promote
women’s rights. But when she publicly sought
justice for six elementary school girls who
were sexually abused by their principal, the
government intervened—and Haiyan became
a target. Wang plunges into the fray right
next to Haiyan, capturing police chases, interrogations,
surveillance, harassment, imprisonment,
and multiple relocations as Haiyan refuses
to back down or be silenced in her fight
for justice. This harrowing work of guerilla
journalism required Wang to literally smuggle
film out of the country on hard drives.
In
Person: Director Nanfu Wang (Sun); Producer
Michael Shade (Sun).