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Migrant Worker Artist (2): Shattering the Illusion

Wang Jiahui

Release year: 2018

Run time: 72 mins

Film type: Documentary

Synopsis

This film focuses on the life of Zhu Xiaoguang, the migrant worker artist, 15 years later. Zhu Xiaoguang was born in 1981 in Linyi, Shandong Province. He was abandoned by his parents when he was four years old and lived with his aunt. His mother remarried and had another child, and his father had another family. Fifteen years after the shooting of Migrant Worker Artist (1), Zhu Xiaoguang has experienced the death of his father, the demolition of his family's house, and the estrangement of his relationship with his biological mother. The only thing that has changed, in Zhu's own words, is that he has become "poorer", without a house, a car, or a daughter-in-law. His largest source of income in the last year was the 5,000 yuan he received from donating sperm at the Beijing Human Sperm Bank! In his own words: "It's very painful, but I can't talk about it; if I talk about it, it will only make people laugh"!

 

Director biography

Wang Jiahui
Born in 1983 in Handan, Hebei. Works mainly as a director and photographer. Current residence: Beijing In 2002, he started by chance to wander in the north. In 2003 he started to wander across the country. In 2004 he started to create short DV films. In 2005 he started to create documentaries. His main works include: Migrant Worker Artist 1, Migrant Worker Artist 2, Mr. Youwei Liang in the North, Loser, and Village Horror Master. Of these, Migrant Worker Artist 1 was selected in 2017 for Zhang Xianmin's Top Ten Recommendations.