China’s One Child Policy, the extreme population control measure that made it illegal for couples to have more than one child, officially ended in 2015. The process of dealing with the trauma of its brutal enforcement, however, is only just beginning. Inspired by documentarian Nanfu Wang’s experiences as a first-time parent – and with co-director Jialing Zhang – One Child Nation explores the ripple effect of this devastating social experiment, uncovering one shocking human rights violation after another including abandoned newborns, forced sterilizations and abortions, and government abductions. With Wang digging fearlessly into her own personal life, weaving her experience as a new mother and the firsthand accounts of her family members into archival propaganda material and testimony from victims and perpetrators alike, yielding a revelatory and essential record of this chilling, unprecedented moment in human civilization.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
