The Chinese Mayor

Showings

Milliken at the Dennos Museum Sun, Aug 2, 2015 3:00 PM
The Barbus Family
Film Info
Section:Documentary
Release Year:2014
Runtime:86 min.
Rating:NR
Production Country:China
Original Language:Chinese
Subtitles:English
Cast/Crew Info
Director:Hao Zhou
Produced by:Qi Zhao
Screenwriter:Qi Zhao
Hao Zhou
Cinematography:Hao Zhou
Tianhui Zhang
Editing By:Tom Hsinming Lin
Xiaochuan Yu

Description

Newly appointed as Chinese mayor of Datong, 54-year-old Geng Yanbo is on a mission to clean up his city—which ranks as the most polluted city in the country—and to bring in tourist dollars by returning it to its former glory of 1,600 years ago. His radical plan includes tearing down poor, unsightly neighborhoods, which will require the relocation of half a million residents (30 percent of Datong’s total population). Success will depend entirely on his ability to calm swarms of furious workers and an increasingly perturbed ruling elite. With unbelievable access, “The Chinese Mayor” captures a man who continues to weather accumulating challenges as he attempts to work against the system, amidst controversy and constant setbacks, seemingly immune to exhaustion and the need for sleep, leaping frantically into an increasingly unstable future. In Person: Producer Qi Zhao.