18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Images of the 21st Century
11-20 March 2016
PRESS CONFERENCE
HOOLIGAN SPARROW / INSIDE THE CHINESE CLOSET /
DREAMING OF DENMARK
Images of the 21st Century
11-20 March 2016
PRESS CONFERENCE
HOOLIGAN SPARROW / INSIDE THE CHINESE CLOSET /
DREAMING OF DENMARK
As part of the 18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, directors Nanfu Wang (Hooligan Sparrow), Sophia Luvara (Inside the Chinese Closet) and Michael Graversen (Dreaming of Denmark), attended a press conference on Wednesday March 16th, 2016.
Nanfu Wang was the first to speak. In her documentary Hooligan Sparrow, the director follows the brave Chinese activist Ye Haiyan (aka Sparrow), who uses her body as a means of political activism. In the past, the activist had joined herself a prostitution house in order to expose the violation of women’s rights. The initial intention of the director was to focus on people working in the sex industry. In the course of the film, though, the activist becomes the protagonist of the documentary, as she protests about the rape of a group of students by a school principal and a government official and is then placed under heavy surveillance by the Chinese authorities. "We were being followed by secret police and policemen in uniforms as we roamed through six provinces. Our camera was not that big in size, but, nevertheless, the policemen were threatening us each time they were taking notice of it, so we had to revert to a secret camera and a tape recorder. Every day, I had to smuggle the material, as they could just break into the house and take it at any time", Mrs. Wang narrated. The Chinese authorities interrogated the director herself and she deliberately lied on completing her film, while, in addition she still doesn't know if she will be allowed to enter her country or she would be detained at the airport. The main characters of her film have been succumbed to even greater restrictions than the director. "People like Ye Haiyan fight in defense of human rights, even though the price is enormous. The authorities arrested her twice and withheld her passport too, whereas a collaborator of hers, who is also appearing in the film, received a life sentence", the director marked.
The documentary Inside the Chinese Closet by Sophia Luvara presents one more aspect of the oppression of human rights in China, focusing on how homosexuals are treated by society but also their families. “The subject was completely unknown to me, as it was for a lot of Europeans too, simply because the media do not report anything about it. Our starting point was Shanghai, where since 1987 homosexuality ceased to constitute an offence and from 2001 and on, it is not considered a mental illness anymore. "You don’t get harassed if you are homosexual, that is only if you do not claim you rights and everything happens behind closed doors”, the director said. “Homosexuals in China are under a great pressure and the government policies gave way to an entire generation of only children that worsens the situation. I wanted to approach the subject from a human point of view and not a political one”, Mrs. Luvara noted. She requested permission herself from the authorities, but when she received a negative answer, she went on without their approval, using small cameras, while the government decided to turn a blind eye, as the director said. The main characters of the film are Andy and Cherry. Andy is trying to devise a 'white wedding' with a lesbian wife of convenience that could possibly bear his child, as this is the wish of his family, even though they know that their son is homosexual. Cherry is a charismatic person who has a fulfilling relationship with her female companion and also wishes to have a child. As Mrs. Luvara added: "The film will never be screened in China”, as the legislation prescribes that any images containing elements of homosexuaity in the country should not be featured.
The documentary Dreaming of Denmark by Michael Graversen follows the odyssey of Wasiullah, a young refugee, who arrives alone to Denmark from Afghanistan. The director met Wasiullah in an asylum of unaccompanied refugee minors while he was shooting his previous film No Man's Land. He follows him right after his discharge from the asylum, when he turns 18 and is no longer under its protection. The camera trails Wasiullah in Copenhagen and as he slips to Italy, hoping to obtain a residence permit that will allow him to return to Denmark, the place he considers his home. “In Italy, Wasiullah suffers a nervous breakdown. He can't remember who he is. He couldn't recognize me, so I had to restore contact with him through common friends and start our relationship all over again", the director recounted. He still maintains a relationship with Wasiullah, who was now granted a five-year temporary asylum in Denmark. Still, if he fails to find a job, he will end up homeless in the streets, again. While making the film, as Mr. Graversen said, he couldn't have imagined how relevant it would prove to be. "I am just thinking that a few miles away from here is Idomeni, where 14,000 refugees are currently residing and a few days ago even tried to cross the borders. There is great dispute and division in society regarding this particular issue. It is crucial whether some countries will close their borders or not and whether the weight will eventually fall on the shoulders of countries like Greece and Italy. We need to show solidarity. There are a lot of things that are not getting done right. Our approach to the issue should depend on the capacities of each country. Isolation is not a solution", the director stressed.
