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Chinese Independent Documentary --Village Documentary Project :
CIDFA035:
My Village in 2007(Jia Zhitan)
Directed, filmed, edited by Jia Zhitan
Organized & Produced by CCD Workstation
80 mins./2008
Synopsis:
My Village 2007, my third work after My Village 2006, is a continuation of my 2005 short film, Quarry. It continues to follow the large and small issues of my village, including the difficult process of starting the “Shimen County Dedicated Orange Co-operative,” and our opening elections for both the county and village representatives. At one point, I trained my lens on group leader Liu Dingcai and asked him to discuss the elections. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he admitted, “The representatives we’re choosing from have all been handed down to us from above. I asked Party member Jia Zhiyun the same thing, and he told me he could only talk if I put my camera away, fearing that if any of my material got on TV it would be inappropriate.
Also, the South Creek River that runs through our village was being heavily polluted by the Wang Yan Coal Mine. Let’s not talk of people drinking the water, even wearing clothes washed in the river caused sores on people’s skin. At the insistence of my fellow villagers, and with the County Television Station’s support, I started to film the situation as a way of appealing to the higher authorities for a resolution to the problem. After I started filming, the Village Secretary advised me not to “air our dirty laundry,” claiming that no enterprise can run without negative effects. When I tried filming in the coal mine, Manager Li wanted me to present my “press credentials.” Of course, I had none to present, so he exploded and threatened to destroy my camera. My heart jumped into my throat; I was so afraid that if he swiped my camera and destroyed it, this passion of mine would have no future.
Filmmaker’s words:
Recording the everyday life of my village, its history and meaning, has deep and far-reaching implications. For one, it gives the villagers a voice, and it can also help resolve some of the issues they face, particularly ones in which they feel helpless.
During the election, both the Party Member and Group Leader were afraid to speak truthfully in front of my camera: “What if my words are exposed?” So, thanks to some of my newfound skills, I shut my LCD screen and capped my lens, but left the camera running, so that I could continue recording their innermost thoughts. They didn’t realize this, so they began to say what they were really thinking. TV stations will never broadcast this, but I captured rare material, showing everyone the truth about our elections: who the candidates were, the fact that they were handpicked by the Village long ago and plopped before our District, and that the villagers voting are really just idle puppets.
Interestingly, the villagers asked me repeatedly to film the pollution of the South Creek River. The County Television Station sent people over, in the spirit of cooperating with the Central Government’s Environmental Administration. They said they wanted to use my DV footage that speaks out for the villagers to make a documentary, so that I can participate in an annual film awards selection at the provincial level. Their words excited me.
During the process of filming the pollution of our river, the Village Secretary spoke menacing words; and at a village representative council meeting, the director of the local police station pointed at me fiercely, saying I was filming illegally and commanding me to stop. When I wouldn’t respond, they’d invite me to “discuss” matters at the Village Government, saying that I’m well-known and shouldn’t ruin my reputation, and that I should aid the government.
The Central Government’s policies regarding environmental pollution are good, and they are truly concerned about villagers’ welfare. But once the policies reach the lower levels of government, the leaders all shield one another, and make corrupt deals with businessmen. Before, there was a fund of 2 million or so yuan that was intended for pollution management and claims, but even that was embezzled by them for other uses. The masses reported them for an audit, so they were supposed to submit their records, but they refused.
The villagers were infuriated; they gave generously and it was always, “Five for you, ten for him.” They nominated Chen Jingshu, Wu Yuman, and myself to appeal to the Provincial Capital at Changsha, and also to send our appeal materials and a DVD of my shots of the pollution issue to Prime Minister Wen at the State Department.
I’m just a 60-year-old man, who will never be an official, and never strike it rich. If in my lifetime, I can help the villagers speak out, help solve some of their problems, and give expression to the value of life, that would be my greatest joy.