Thank you Nathan. This is a fantastic, powerful article.
The only thing I have to say is that in the photo "Wu Wenguang instructing villagers at his Caochangdi Workstation", the people learning to use the cameras appear to be all men. Do you know if any women were actually involved in his "give the people a camera" project, or was it limited to 'give men a camera'? Having said that, it's still a powerful thing he has done. I love your descriptions about the films being just like rural China, "slow, patient, and mundane, where nothing happens for weeks, and then, in an instant, everything changes".
Hi Debbie, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!
The project was absolutely not limited to men—there were indeed women who directed their own films. In fact, women have been a central force in many of Wu Wenguang's documentaries. His approach has always been about giving the subjects the freedom to control their own stories, rather than imposing his own perspective on them.
If you're interested in diving deeper into his technique and philosophy, I’d recommend starting with Bumming in Beijing, which lays the foundation for much of his later work. His approach to empowering people through the camera only becomes more pronounced as his career progresses. Here’s a link to the film for a closer look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ES1LnLCRtQ
Thanks, Nathan, and I'm pleased to hear it. It's wrong to make assumptions based on one photo - and I didn't, I just wanted clarification, which I now have. Do you know who sees all the videos made by the villagers? is it primarily for their own communities, or do they share the films, or show the films? I'll definitely check out the video later!
The films have been shown at festivals, film clubs, universities, and other venues. They've also been available online at different times, though I couldn't find a link while writing this article. The audience, wasn’t primarily from the communities the directors came from, but from urban areas and internationally, which is why I consider them such an unrivalled record of authenticity... there is another article I could write about the distribution of these films and how they bypass traditional censorship and intervention.
Incredible how much one person with the intention to empower others actually made the lives of the villagers become known to 'outsiders'. Please do write the article about the distribution of the films. It's a fascinating account of ordinary people becoming empowered. It's also quite amazing how you just stumbled upon his first film once upon a time in Edinburgh. Perhaps it was fate.
Thank you Nathan. This is a fantastic, powerful article.
The only thing I have to say is that in the photo "Wu Wenguang instructing villagers at his Caochangdi Workstation", the people learning to use the cameras appear to be all men. Do you know if any women were actually involved in his "give the people a camera" project, or was it limited to 'give men a camera'? Having said that, it's still a powerful thing he has done. I love your descriptions about the films being just like rural China, "slow, patient, and mundane, where nothing happens for weeks, and then, in an instant, everything changes".
Hi Debbie, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!
The project was absolutely not limited to men—there were indeed women who directed their own films. In fact, women have been a central force in many of Wu Wenguang's documentaries. His approach has always been about giving the subjects the freedom to control their own stories, rather than imposing his own perspective on them.
If you're interested in diving deeper into his technique and philosophy, I’d recommend starting with Bumming in Beijing, which lays the foundation for much of his later work. His approach to empowering people through the camera only becomes more pronounced as his career progresses. Here’s a link to the film for a closer look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ES1LnLCRtQ
Thanks, Nathan, and I'm pleased to hear it. It's wrong to make assumptions based on one photo - and I didn't, I just wanted clarification, which I now have. Do you know who sees all the videos made by the villagers? is it primarily for their own communities, or do they share the films, or show the films? I'll definitely check out the video later!
The films have been shown at festivals, film clubs, universities, and other venues. They've also been available online at different times, though I couldn't find a link while writing this article. The audience, wasn’t primarily from the communities the directors came from, but from urban areas and internationally, which is why I consider them such an unrivalled record of authenticity... there is another article I could write about the distribution of these films and how they bypass traditional censorship and intervention.
Incredible how much one person with the intention to empower others actually made the lives of the villagers become known to 'outsiders'. Please do write the article about the distribution of the films. It's a fascinating account of ordinary people becoming empowered. It's also quite amazing how you just stumbled upon his first film once upon a time in Edinburgh. Perhaps it was fate.