Film review: A New Era (2019)

Hugo Montero (1)

1 LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports

A New Era. Directed by Boris Svartzman. 2019. 71 minutes. Colour. A New Era follows the struggle of Guanzhou's villagersbetween 2008 and 2015-against the eviction of their lands in order to build an 'ecological island' composed by a large number of buildings and urban infrastructures. Boris Svartzman filmed a located experience of these peasants' everyday life with expropriation threat, their resistance to urban planning, and how Chinese's authorities justify their urbanization. This documentary is particularly relevant about showing people and environment on a change, by pressure. Urban developers are here supported by Chinese State. They are transforming an area mainly dedicated to family farming and wild-developing vegetation to a leisure and urban island committed to the recent and growing Chinese middle class. Both sides are observing these changes, and each other, men are coming everyday early in the morning close to the habitations in order to mark their presence and to put under pressure the last farmers of the land. The remaining families are watching and hearing the sounds of works in progress, cranes, pneumatic drills, cement mixer trucks and notice every day the rise of improbable black and white high buildings on the horizon. Authorities had started to destroy some of the houses of the village, justifying that they don't have building permit. The film shows how these destructions are part of a campaign of intimidation. Demolitions are surrounded by police officers and military units; protesters are regularly arrested.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie

Hugo Montero. Film review: A New Era (2019). 2020. ⟨halshs-03148429⟩