Dark Documentary on China Underbelly Chills Cannes
A Chinese documentary film, Petition, by Zhao Liang, is premiering at Cannes Film Festival. From France24:
At a festival chock-full of cinematic violence, a documentary by a young Chinese film-maker brought more darkness to Cannes with a harrowing portrayal of life in Beijing’s underbelly.
“I’m relating reality as it is in China today,” director Zhao Liang told AFP in an interview.
His “Petition” documents the plight of China’s judicial “petitioners” — people from across the land who gather in Beijing in the hope of righting legal wrongs suffered back home.
“These people are sacrificing themselves for China,” said Zhao, whose work is one of 15 feature-length films selected for screening by the festival but showing out-of-competition for the Palme d’Or award.
“There is a lot of corruption. China’s problem today is that justice is not independent,” he said.
POSTED COMMENTS: 2 Responses
Have fun being labeled a “Han jian” and maybe banned from making movies, Zhao Liang.
Add ‘Petition’ to the list of films banned in China. I’m afraid that poor Zhao Liang won’t be making another for awhile.