Mondovisioni. I documentari di Internazionale

THE PLOT

An engaging story of political commitment through the eyes of Chinese-American filmmaker Nanfu Wang, who followed young Cuban activist Rosa María Payá for seven years, daughter of Oswaldo Payá, a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, in her fight for democratic change in Cuba. Driven by her experiences in China, Nanfu is drawn to Rosa's story and the parallels between their home countries. Thus, she begins to follow Rosa from the streets of Havana to demonstrations and conferences around the world, documenting her transformation from grassroots activist to international public figure, and the challenges, choices, and compromises she faces as she resists a regime. Nanfu's reflections on her Chinese upbringing and the erosion of democratic principles in the United States, intertwined with Rosa's story, reveal disturbing similarities between Cuba, the authoritarian system the director left behind, and the one that is taking shape in her adopted country. Night Is Not Eternal is a powerful reflection on the meaning of individual political action against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and on the value of a narrative that transcends geographical boundaries to explore a universal desire for freedom.

THE DIRECTOR

Nanfu Wang is an American director of Chinese origin, known for documentaries like One Child Nation and Hooligan Sparrow, which focus on social history, human rights, and activism in China. Born in a remote farming village in Jiangxi Province, Wang arrived in the United States in 2011 and became passionate about filmmaking during her studies at Ohio University’s journalism school and later at New York University’s News and Documentary program. Her first film, about Chinese women’s rights activist Ye Haiyan, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. Since then, as Wang's international reputation has grown (One Child Nation, about China’s one-child policy, was nominated for the 92nd Academy Awards), so has the displeasure towards her from her home country: her work is constantly banned, she is the victim of online defamatory campaigns, and every time she films in China she faces ongoing risks.