Film Summary

FILM SUMMARY

Wuhan Wuhan is an observational documentary unfolding during February and March 2020 at the height of the pandemic in Wuhan, China. With unprecedented access at the peak of the pandemic lockdown, Wuhan Wuhan goes beyond the statistics and salacious headlines and puts a human experience into the early days of the mysterious virus as Chinese citizens and frontline healthcare workers grappled with an invisible, deadly killer.

The film focuses on five heart-wrenching and endearing stories: a soft-hearted ER doctor and an unflappable ICU nurse from the COVID-19 hospital; a compassionate volunteer psychologist at a temporary hospital; a tenacious mother and son who are COVID-19 patients navigating the byzantine PRC healthcare system; and a volunteer driver for medical workers and his 9 month pregnant wife whose heartfelt story forms the backbone of this film.

Wuhan Wuhan is a testament to the universality of our collective pandemic experience, that no matter what country, no one is immune to disease and that we, as a human species, share the same humanity in our struggle to survive.

Content Warning: While Wuhan, Wuhan is a person-focused narrative situated in the earliest experiences with COVID-19, this ongoing pandemic continues to impact the daily lives of millions. Please know that conversations around an ongoing pandemic will likely conjure memories, feelings, and painful experiences for those in your community. For this reason we have included a Grounding Activity for you to offer those in attendance at the close (or throughout) your conversation.

USING THIS GUIDE

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and designed for people who want to use Wuhan Wuhan to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. Because COVID-19 remains in our lives today, and with so many loved ones, neighbors, and community members deeply affected by the pandemic, this film can also stand as a meditation for us all. The storytelling, musical score, and characters lend themselves to a unique opportunity to be reminded of our shared humanity and the universal connections we share around the world to live, love, and help one another remain safe.

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit https://communitynetwork.amdoc.org/.

LETTER FROM THE FILMMAKER

As a Chinese person who grew up in North America, I feel strongly committed to telling a nuanced story that doesn’t generalize a population of people and reveals them to be individuals, not just a monolith. Nationalism builds walls and this is not the intention of this film. In WUHAN WUHAN, the lives of the people we follow are individually a document of perseverance, but collectively they represent the profound humanity we universally hope for in times of crisis. I’m driven to make this film because of anti-Asian racism quelled by double-speak and mis-truths from leaders around the world, who obfuscate the realities of this pandemic; that in the end it is the everyday person, the essential frontline workers, the volunteers, the intergenerational families, it is us, who must navigate the ups-and-downs of this unprecedented and historic event that will shape our lives forever. In a way, as systems and governments fail us, the people have come together. We will survive.

- Yung Chang, Director