“A fascinating verite portrait of the collision between progress, politics, corruption and citizens’ rights” – Variety
Mayor Geng Yanbo is in charge of a dying city – and he has a kill-or-cure plan to save it. Datong has fallen far since its days as a Northern Wei Dynasty capital 1500 years ago. Now smothered under the worst blanket of smog in the country, its infrastructure, economy and buildings are all crumbling.
Winning a special Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Chinese Mayor follows “Demolition Geng” as he hatches a bold scheme to bulldoze hundreds of homes in a bid to reclaim the city’s ancient splendour and forge forward into the future. Only half a million furious residents labelling him a tyrant and mountains of red tape stand in his way.
