The Epic of Central Plains
Ai Xiaoming and Hu Jie
Release year: 2006
Run time: 122 mins
Film type: Documentary
Synopsis
Many farmers in the poor villages of Henan Province are infected with AIDS through blood sales. This film takes a closer look at how these people are coping with life, how officials are dealing with these facts, and how volunteers are helping villagers who have contracted the disease. The director goes into a number of villages in Central China with a high incidence of AIDS, listening to farmers talk about the historical background of the rise of the "plasma economy", showing the survival of families, especially women and children, infected with AIDS through blood donations and transfusions, and documenting the formation and efforts of civil society organisations at grassroots level.
Director biography