After co-directing the Oscar shortlisted One Child Nation and producing In the Same Breath, Jialing Zhang is back with another documentary portrait of contemporary China, this time exploring the country’s pervasive and invasive total surveillance of its population. Total Trust, which premiered at CPH:DOX and recently played at DOC NYC, will open at Film Forum on December 8 and we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the first U.S trailer.
Here’s the synopsis: “For two decades, China has implemented cutting-edge security and surveillance to monitor its citizens. In this fascinating and chilling documentary, Jialing Zhang (co-director of ONE CHILD NATION) immerses us in this daily reality: half a billion cameras pointed at the populace, invasive neighborhood watch programs (“Sharp Eyes”), employees monitored for stress levels, and a “social credit” point system that rewards for community service and penalizes perceived societal infractions. With the assistance of dozens of anonymous locals, Zhang focuses on three courageous women fighting for civil liberties and justice, including independent journalist Sophia Xueqin Huang, one of the first Chinese reporters to investigate #MeToo accusations and subsequently arrested for ‘”inciting subversion of state power.'”
See the exclusive trailer below.
Total Trust opens on December 8 at Film Forum.