THE FOOLISH OLD MAN
‘The Foolish Old Man’ tells the story of four social activists in China: a poverty-alleviation campaigner (Deng Fei), an environmental activist (Dashi), a labor organizer (Zhang Zhiru) and a pro-democracy dissident (Hu Jia).
The film addresses their complex relationship with the Government in Beijing and the different, sometimes conflicting, paths of action they choose to take: from those who confront the Government to those who believe that avoiding conflict can bear more fruit.
‘The Foolish Old Man’ defies the widespread prejudice that no citizen can make his voice heard under the rule of the Communist Party. Civil society does exist in China. Many people fight for a better country and their work has achieved progress in some areas.
However, civil society is always limited, often sabotaged and sometimes violently crushed by a system that prioritizes its own survival to anything else.
Title / THE FOOLISH OLD MAN Genre / Documentary Running Time / 58 minutes Country / Spain Language / Chinese, English Location / China Format / HD Director / Antón Calderón & Diego Torres Cinematography / Antón Calderón & Diego Torres Editing / Antón Calderón, Diego Torres, Gisela Barrera Sound / Ramón Casals Graphics / Antonio Amián Production Coordinator/ María Royo Archival Footage Provided by / Zhang Zhiru, Dashi, Hu Jia Production Companies / Gateway Media and Jur & Jur Productions Distribution / Salon Indien Films With / Zhang Zhiru, Dashi, Hu Jia, Deng Fei Special Thanks/ Shaoxing Environment Protection Centre, Shenzhen Chunfeng Labor Dispute Service Center, Free Lunch for Children Foundation, Greenpeace Beijing, Daniel Esparza, Sara Romero, Daniel Méndez, Maite Bengoechea, Aritz Parra, Domingo Soriano, Pablo R. Suanzes, Jesús Moreno, Laia Tomás, David López, Zigor Aldama, Rafael Barquín, David Jiménez, Lourdes Romero, Bojana Momirovic, José Luis Mejías …And other anonymous helpers…