nanfu wang – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 22, 2024: NIGHT IS NOT ETERNAL

November 17, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, cuba, documentary, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, motw, motw. betsy bozdech, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, nell minow, Night Is Not Eternal, Pam Grady, Rosa Maria Paya

It’s difficult to imagine a documentary feeling more timely in the wake of the 2024 U.S. presidential election than Nanfu Wang’s extremely personal film Night Is Not Eternal. As she explores her own feelings about resisting China’s authoritarian regime and discovers their parallels to — and departures from — the experiences of Cuban activist Rosa Maria Paya, Wang also paints a sobering picture of what could be lurking in our own not-so-distant future.

Festivals Reviews

IN THE SAME BREATH (Sundance2021) – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 29, 2021 Leslie Combemale Chen Quishi, covid 19, documentaries, in the same breath, nanfu wang, Sundance Film Festival 2021, wuhan

Is In the Same Breath, a film about the rise of COVID-19, a documentary or a horror film? The answer is it’s both, but it’s also a fascinating chronicle of what actually happened inside Wuhan, and how both the Chinese and American people experienced the outbreak.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Diane Carson

August 21, 2019August 24, 2019 Diane Carson 0 Comments china, documentaries, Jialing Zhang, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, one child nation

Reliable statistics are informative. Hearing the personal, painful stories of those reflected in numbers adds the emotional element to cold facts. That is what directors Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang bring to their documentary One Child Nation, a profound examination of China’s policy, introduced in 1979, mandating no more than one child per family to limit population growth.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 16, 2019: ONE CHILD NATION

August 11, 2019August 14, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, china, documentaries, jennifer merin, Jialing Zhang, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., maryann johanson, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, nikki baughan, one child nation, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, susan wloszcyna

Nanfu Wang’s One Child Nation is a frank, honest look at the devastating impact of China’s “one child per family” policy. Introduced by the Chinese government in 1979 as a radical way of curbing unsustainable population growth, the policy relied on powerful propaganda — and strict enforcement — to ensure compliance. In the documentary, the Chinese-born Wang, now a mother herself, explores the program’s long-term impact on her country and her people.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

August 6, 2019August 20, 2019 Susan Wloszczyna 0 Comments china, documentaries, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, one child nation

There are atrocities and then there are soul-lacerating atrocities. One Child Nation is one of those documentaries as it exposes how a government can manipulate a whole population to follow a policy that supposedly is for the better good but what actually resulted is a horribly cruel and unnatural genocide of innocent babies and the demonization of pregnant women.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Marilyn Ferdinand

August 6, 2019August 20, 2019 Marilyn Ferdinand (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments china, documentaries, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, one child nation

During the 1970s, China’s population reached 1 billion. Fearing widespread famine, the government imposed a limit of one child per family and began enforcing it in 1979 with propaganda and strong-arm tactics. Human population growth is a real problem, but One Child Nation argues through the stark emotions of the midwife, artist, family planning official, and affected families who spoke out for the camera that legislating it out of existence is not the answer.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Sheila Roberts

August 6, 2019August 20, 2019 Sheila Roberts (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments china, documentary, Jialing Zhang, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, one child nation

One Child Nation, co-directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, is a gripping, thought provoking, deeply personal examination of the impact of China’s one-child policy.. Wang, who was born in China in the 1980s and later emigrated to America, began shooting the film not long after she gave birth. Through moving interviews with Wang’s own family, former midwives and family planning officials, artists, journalists, and human traffickers, Wang exposes a disastrous 35-year social experiment that had tragic consequences for multiple generations.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Liz Whittemore

August 6, 2019August 20, 2019 Liz Whittemore 0 Comments china, documentary, motw, Movie of the Week, nanfu wang, one child nation

Comprised of intimate first hand accounts and government made propaganda, One Child Nation will undoubtedly tap into your soul. If you are a mother, it will offend your understanding of the world. How can government care so little for the lives of its own citizens? Fighting back, telling stories is what brings enlightenment to the ignorant and empowers progressive change. One Child Nation shows us how great filmmaking can educate a new generation. You can’t rewrite history but you can prevent it from ever happening again.

Reviews

ONE CHILD NATION – Review by Carla Renata

August 5, 2019June 8, 2020 Carla Renata (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments china, documentaries, nanfu wang, one child nation

Images of a tiny embryo stored in a jar of formaldehyde contrasted with footage of marching Chinese soldiers set the stage for a documentary that clearly addresses issues between the miracle of life and the government’s attempt to control the population growth are hauntingly powerful.

Commentaries Festivals

My Sundance 2016 Trifecta — Chaz Ebert Comments

February 22, 2016November 11, 2019 Chaz Ebert 0 Comments birth of a nation, Chaz Ebert, heidi ewing, hooligan sparrow, nanfu wang, Nate Parker, norman lear, rachel grady, sundance

When I won a trifecta at the Kentucky Derby, I was hailed as a heroine by my fellow revelers, who were natted out in their finest headgear. They marveled at the ability of anyone to guess three winning horses in a row, and in the correct order. Indeed it was not easy, but I had to admit that dumb luck played a big part.