Smog has darkened Beijing’s skies and sullied the city’s reputation, but northern China’s persistent pollution plague is now getting more artful treatment from one of China’s most famous filmmakers.
Greenpeace East Asia on Wednesday released a film by renowned Chinese director Jia Zhangke titled “Smog Journeys,” examining how air pollution affects families at all rungs of China’s stratified society.
“We wanted to make a film that moves people, not frightens them,” Jia said in an interview with Greenpeace translated by The Huffington Post. “I hope to touch the audience on an emotional level, and from this create a kind of self-awareness that will push all of society to change the pollution situation.”
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Many of Jia’s period pieces feature stark visuals, and the director said the pollution has begun to affect his craft.
“Sometimes we joke that if you want to film a movie set in the ’80s or ’90s, it’s easy to fix everything except the air,” said Jia. “We can make the actors wear costumes from the ’80s and sing songs from the ’80s, but what do we do without the air from the ’80s?”
