In The Same Breath

Synopsis

In The Same Breath, directed by Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation), explores the parallel campaigns of misinformation waged by the Chinese and US leadership and their devastating impact on millions of lives since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a deeply personal approach, Wang, who was born in China and now lives in the United States, shares emotional first-hand accounts and startling, on-the-ground footage captured by camerapersons in China and the US as she weaves a revelatory picture of mass cover-ups and dishonesty while also highlighting the strength and resilience of the healthcare workers, activists, and family members who risked everything to communicate the truth.

An HBO Documentary Film

“We all think of ourselves as capable of separating truth from falsehood. But how can we make that distinction, when misinformation comes from the people we are supposed to trust?”
- Nanfu Wang, director, In The Same Breath

“It’s really about the ‘same breath’ drawn by people across China and the US—breath that isn’t valued by political leaders, who lie to them and abandon them, the failures of democracy and the
costs of authoritarianism.” - Sophie Richardson, China director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch

- Winner, Audience Award, Festival Favorites, SXSW 2021
- Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2021

Accessibility: Closed-captioning available in English.

Watch at your own pace anytime between May 19 - 27, or join us and watch-along before the live Q&A

Monday, May 24
6:45 PM EDT / 3:45 PM PDT – Start film
8:30 PM EDT / 5:30 PM PDT – Join us for a live Q&A. Register here!

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Credits

Nanfu Wang

Nanfu Wang

NANFU WANG – DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, CO-EDITOR Nanfu Wang is an award-winning Chinese filmmaker based in the U.S. Her feature documentaries include Hooligan Sparrow (Sundance 2016), I Am Another You (SXSW 2017, Special Jury Prize winner), and One Child Nation (Sundance 2019, Grand Jury Prize Winner). Wang was awarded the 2020 MacArthur Genius Grant. She has received four Emmy nominations and was shortlisted for two Academy Awards for her films and is a recipient of the Independent Spirit Award, the Peabody Award, the George Polk Award, Cinema Eye Honor awards, and an IDA award. In her films, Wang creates intimate character studies that examine the impact of authoritarian governance, corruption, and lack of accountability on the lives of individuals and the well-being of communities. With the rigor of an investigative journalist and immersive, emotionally powerful storytelling, Wang interrogates notions of responsibility and freedom, particularly amid the repressive state mandates in her native China. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and a lack of access to formal education and eventually earned three Master’s degrees from Shanghai University (M.A. in English Literature), Ohio University (M.A. in Media Studies), and New York University (M.A. in Documentary Filmmaking). She teaches cinematography and editing at New York University.