138: Nanfu Wang on “In the Same Breath”

In the Same Breath is a strikingly original analysis of the early days of the pandemic as it unfolded in China and the United States. Filmmaker Nanfu Wang draws upon multiple sources of footage to study how governments shaped the messaging about coronavirus and how they missed opportunities to limit the virus. Her collaborators include her husband Michael Shade as an editor and Jialing Zhang as one of the producers. Nanfu and Jialing previously appeared on episode #115 to discuss their film One Child Nation about China’s extreme efforts to control population growth. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Nanfu about the logistical and emotional challenges of navigating China’s censorship. She discusses the lessons she learned making her first film Hooligan Sparrow, about a Chinese dissident, that was her first experience with government pressure.