On May 12, 2008, a catastrophic earthquake hit Sichuan Province in rural China, killing nearly 70,000 people, including 10,000 children. In town after town, poorly constructed school buildings crumbled, wiping out classrooms filled with students, most of them their parents' only child. But when grieving mothers and fathers sought explanations and justice, they found their path blocked by incompetence, corruption and empty promises.
Direction
Alpert & O'Neill capture raw grief without exploitation.
Editing
Tight 38 minutes. Every frame earns its weight.
Director
Matthew O'Neill
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'tofu-dregs construction' scandal exposed how corrupt officials skimmed from school budgets, literally building death traps.
Alpert and O'Neill smuggled footage out after Chinese authorities detained them; this premiered at Cannes under heavy security.
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