My Village in 2006 (Jia Zhitan)
Jia Zhitan | 2008 | 71 min. | English subtitles
Synopsis:
Jia Zhitan films his village, Yuanyichang Village in Hunan Province. He records the daily lives of the villagers, his life as an orange farmer and his efforts to start a agricultural co-op. He also documents his efforts as an activist to speak up for underrepresented people in his village.
Filmmaker’s Words:
I always carried my camera with me to film the people and situations I encountered. Sometimes circumstances made me the look like the fool and the village leaders like the smart ones. My wife complained that my endeavors in video didn’t amount to anything. Only the other villagers found this “foreigner’s toy” refreshing. They would ask me to record their every joy, frustration and sorrow. Some of us used my footage to appeal to the authorities to help some people in need. We managed to get a county official to give an 83-year-old lady 800 RMB to reimburse her for medical fees associated with a broken leg. Because of this the villagers consider me the local reporter, a skillful, influential guy that was trained in the emperor’s city (CCD Workstation in Beijing).
I painstakingly recorded the progress of the farmers’ co-op we started. No matter if it succeeds or fails, it is a farmers’ social movement. If it fails I will use my footage to petition to the experts on Three Rural Problems (agriculture, rural areas, farmers) to aid us. Ultimately, I hope we can increase farmers’ salaries and help them live a better life.
Once while I was filming, the county secretary said to me, “Old Jia, there are so many things you could be doing, why do you insist on doing this?” I replied,“This is essential,” and pointed my lens on him. He glared at me. “What are you filming! Even a government reporter can only film if I let him. And you’re just from the common people’s organization!”
A lot of farmers thought the county wouldn’t lift a finger to help the co-op. They’d think we were one of those groups like Falungong. But despite their doubts we stuck together and studied the policies. Soon the city and county medias noticed us and came to film us. The village government actually welcomed this exposure. During this time, I got to eat in the village government’s best dining hall, which was an excellent eating opportunity for me.
It won’t be easy to change the truth of what the county secretary said, but at least they have not restricted what I film. I will continue to record the co-op and the everyday needs and happenings in the village.
About the Filmmaker:
Jia Zhitan (b. 1950) is an orange farmer in Yuanyichang Village, Hunan Province. He joined Caochangdi’s Villager Documentary Project in 2005 and completed the documentary short Quarry. His long documentaries are: My Village 2006, My Village 2007 and My Village 2008, My Village 2009, Investigate Jia Zhixiu.
| Information | |
| Online Viewing | Yes |
| Available Subtitle | English , Chinese |
| Length | 71 mins |
| Production Year | 2008 |
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