Category Archives: Human rights

Hooligan Sparrow

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hooligan sparrow

The Chinese human rights activist Ye Haiyan

 

Last week I attended the opening night of the Human Rights watch film festival to watch a new documentary called ‘Hooligan Sparrow‘ by young Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang.

The filmmaker originally wanted to make a film about the abuse of sex workers in China, but ended up filming and following a group of activists – including the prominent human rights activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a. Hooligan Sparrow) – who were involved in protests over child sex abuse allegations in 2013. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the filmmaker had to smuggle the film out of China, and she may have to face the possible consequences of not being able to return to her homeland after this.

Most of us living outside of China are aware of their human rights issues, but we are probably unaware of the extend and the acuteness of this issue. This film highlights the injustices that are happening in China today; it is shocking, distressing, and so compelling that I was almost moved to tears at the end. The ghastly tyrant state described in George Orwell‘s famous dystopian novel ‘1984’ is not dissimilar to the current Chinese Government. The secret surveillance, deception, use of power and harassment are all depicted in the film as the filmmaker dwelt deeper into the issue. This film, I suspect, is unlikely to be released in China for obvious reasons.

I have never walked up to a filmmaker at any film screening before, but I did it at the reception after the screening. I wanted to congratulate the courageous young filmmaker for making this significant documentary, which I think needs to be seen by the world and especially by ordinary Chinese citizens. Human tragedies – like the case where young girls were raped by their school’s headmaster in Hainan – could happen to ordinary Chinese citizens at anytime, hence they need to realise that their lives are at stake, and it is unlikely that their government would be on their sides when shit hits the fan!

 

 

I am not sure if human rights lawyers like Wang Yu (one of the activists in the film) could predict their future i.e. imprisonment when they first embarked on their career. Instead of prosecuting the criminals, the lawyers are the ones who get arrested by the state; justice in China is such an ironic term.

The filmmaker told me that she is trying her best to get the film screened globally including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and I hope she will succeed. This film is not just about human rights, it is about the bravery and determination of a group of human beings who are willing to sacrifice their lives for justice, equality and freedom of speech. Sometimes fate and circumstances can turn ordinary citizens into ‘accidental heroes’, and when this happens, you have no choice but to keep fighting.

 

This is not a film & Iranian cinema

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I first encountered Iranian cinema around the mid 90s, and I found myself being mesmerised by films from directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaaf, and Jafar Panahi. Panahi‘s ‘The White balloon’ in particular, left a very strong impression on me. I liked the simplicity and humanity of the story, which has a similar feel to Yimou Zhang‘s earlier films like ‘The Story of Qiu Ju’ and ‘Not One Less’ from around the same period. Similarly, Samira Makhmalbaf‘s debut docudrama, ‘Sib’ is also memorable because it depicts lives of seemingly ordinary people living extraordinary lives in Iran.

For some reason, Iranian cinema lost its appeal to me in the 2000s and it was only after seeing Kiarostami‘s ‘Certified copy’ with Juliette Binoche in 2010 that my interest returned again. Then a year later came Asghar Farhadi‘s ‘A separarion’, which marked a break-through in Iranian cinema history as it swept most of the major film awards in 2011 & 2012 and received universal acclaim.

As things seem to be looking up for Iranian cinema, another story is being told in the documentary – ‘This is not a film’ by Jafar Panahi, who shockingly, has been jailed and banned from filming for 20 years by the current Iranian government! This documentary was made out of the blue with the help of his friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb – also jailed for helping Panahi – due to his frustration towards his house arrest and unforesee future.

The reason why people should see this film is not only because of the unjust situation that he is facing; but most importantly, this film is about a film-maker/artist, who is passionate about his work. It is a statement of passion, beliefs, creativity, humanity, freedom and courage. Apparently, the film was smuggled out of the country on a USB stick inside a cake, it was lucky that the custom officers were not hungry on the day!

 

 

Expect the unexpected: the film is unpredictable, raw, spontaneous, honest, thought-provoking and humourous at times. Although there are some sombre moments, the mood changes when a new subject appears later in the film. By that time, I became so engaged that I wished the story would continue…

The story does continue until today but the ending is unclear. Llike Ai Weiwei, even with international support and petitions, there is little that can be done to change the fates of those who take their stands against their governments. And what Panahi probably didn’t expect is that he has made a film possibly more ground-breaking and powerful than the one he was banned to film, so bravo!

This is not a film is now showing in the UK and US cinemas, and it is not be missed!