1428

Filmmaker Du Haibin artfully hones in on the aftermath of the great Sichuan earthquake of 2008, capturing the intimate reactions of the survivors and the government's response, both ten days after the tragedy and seven months later. Winner of the documentary award at the Venice Film Festival.

The Great Sichuan Earthquake rocked China on May 12, 2008 at 14:28 in the afternoon, claiming the lives of more than 68,000 people. Ten days later, filmmaker Du Haibin came to Beichuan, the hardest hit town, and began filming this remarkable documentary, capturing the reactions of the villagers, the response of the media, the damage to homes and livelihoods, and the torments and the vandalism that the official TV broadcasts overlooked. He returned seven months later to assess the government response throughout the harsh winter and uncover the fate of the survivors, whom he allows to speak for themselves as they cope with unimaginable devastation.

Parents going through their lost son’s ravaged dorm room; women on a roadside whose pent-up emotions are released by the howls of a displaced dog; families cheering the parade of government officials whose cars don’t even slow—Du Haibin’s haunting documentary is filled with such revelatory, piercing moments.

Poignant and observant, 1428 resonates all the more in light of other recent natural disasters—and government responses—around the world.

Drea Clark