The RAS cordially invites you to a documentary screening. On 2 July, we will watch Miners, Groom and Pneumoconiosis (2019). After the screening there will be an online discussion with Jiang Nengjie, its director and producer.
The Chinese independent film-maker Jiang Nengjie calls himself a not-for-profit filmmaker shooting films for educational and charitable purposes. A 35-year-old from Hunan, often only equipped with a camcorder, he and his studio Cotton Silk have produced more than a dozen documentaries. Miners, Groom and Pneumoconiosis is one of his latest works, which he started shooting in 2010 and recently completed in 2019. In this documentary, Jiang takes his viewers up along a slippery mountain path in Hunan Province. There, the local people have been mining illegally since the Qing Dynasty. Down in the dusty shafts, which lack health and safety standards, many miners develop a lung disease called pneumoconiosis. As poverty alleviation efforts have taken root and improved the lot of the local community, life in this remote corner of China has changed for the better. But what about the families who have pneumoconiosis patients at home?
Jiang's documentary has gained traction among netizens since he released the film online. The film has received an average score of 8.3 on Douban, a Chinese movie rating site. The RAS version of the film is directly provided by Jiang and has clear English subtitles. A Zoom session with the film-maker will follow right after the screening.
We hope you can join us!