HOOLIGAN SPARROW (Nanfu Wang, U.S., UK, China). 84 minutes. Rating: NNNN
This raw and startling doc isn’t about young rape victims in China and the institutions that enable the culprits. Instead, it’s about the methods used to silence activists who draw attention to those problems.
Ye Haiyan, dubbed Hooligan Sparrow, organizes protests to publicize the plight of vulnerable girls. If Ye barely gets a chance to speak to the corruption involved, it’s because thugs and police are constantly chasing and intimidating her and the filmmaker.
The film takes the shape of a fugitive thriller as we get glimpses on the run of the networked law enforcement and their button pushers trying to keep things quiet, often resorting to assault and unlawful arrests. The surviving footage is a victory for activism.
Apr 28, 9:30 pm, TIFF 2 Apr 29, 4:15 pm, TIFF 1 May 6, 10 am, TIFF 1
