76 Days

76 Days is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Set in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it captures the struggles and human resilience[1] in the battle to survive the pandemic in Wuhan.[2][3]

76 Days
Official release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Hao Wu
  • Jean Tsien
Written byHao Wu
CinematographyChen Weixi
Anonymous
Edited byHao Wu
Production
company
Distributed byMTV Documentary Films
Release date
  • September 14, 2020 (2020-09-14) (TIFF)
  • December 4, 2020 (2020-12-04) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
China
LanguageMandarin

It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2020 to critical acclaim.[4] It was released in the United States on December 4, 2020, by MTV Documentary Films.

Production

Production started in Wuhan in February 2020, soon after the lockdown on Wuhan began, at four different hospitals.[5] It continued through the gradual return of order and ended after the lockdown was officially lifted on April 8.

During the lockdown, access to hospitals was restricted to only patients, medical professionals and reporters. A few of the hardest-hit hospitals only allowed reporters and filming crews thoroughly vetted by the authorities.[6] But that strict control was not applied uniformly to all hospitals or throughout the entire lockdown period. Early in the lockdown when the situation was dire and chaotic and there was a severe shortage of medical supplies, many hospitals actually welcomed media exposure to help them look for help. Some of the medical teams sent from elsewhere in China to support Wuhan were also open to being filmed, partly due to their desire to have their own images documented in this historical moment.

Hao Wu found his two co-directors in mid February[7] while researching a pandemic film for a US network. Both had started filming inside Wuhan in early February. They collaborated by sharing daily rushes and discussing filming strategies online. By late March, however, the media environment in China over COVID-19 narratives was severely tightened due to increasing geo-political tension, so the two of them decided to stop collaborating with Hao. Hao began editing the co-directors’ footage while under quarantine in Atlanta and after the US network had dropped the project he had been developing. Hao approached the two of them once he had completed a rough cut. They eventually agreed to collaborate with him to complete the film.

Just like the healthcare workers in this film, the co-directors Chen Weixi and Anonymous had to put on Personal Protective Equipment every day, which was very uncomfortable to wear, was hard to breathe in and made them feel sick at times. And once they were in the contamination zone, they had to stay there for hours at a time, with no bathroom breaks, just like the doctors and nurses. Every night after filming they would go through a thorough disinfection ritual and go back to rest alone in hotels reserved for front-line workers. Their existence during the lockdown was an exhausting one, both physically and emotionally.[8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2020.[9] Shortly after, MTV Documentary Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[10] It also screened at the AFI Fest on October 16, 2020[11][12] and was the opening night film for the Double Exposure Film festival on October 14, 2020.[13] It was released in the United States on December 4, 2020.[14]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's consensus reads, "A raw, fly-on-the-wall recounting of hospital life in Wuhan in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 76 Days is an engrossing and potent documentary - and a surprisingly comforting portrait of humanity."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

References
  1. "'76 Days': Film Review | TIFF 2020 | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  2. Sims, David (September 24, 2020). "'76 Days' Is Unwatchable Yet Utterly Compelling". The Atlantic.
  3. Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O. (September 22, 2020). "We Watched Fall Film Festivals From Home. Here's How It Went" – via NYTimes.com.
  4. "76 Days". TIFF. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  5. Toronto, Point of View Magazine • 392-401 Richmond Street West •; email, ON • M5V 3A8 • Canada •639-0653 • Send us an. "TIFF Talk: Hao Wu Takes Audiences to the Frontlines of Wuhan in COVID Doc 76 Days – Point of View Magazine". povmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  6. Qin, Amy; Wee, Sui-Lee (2020-03-06). "'No Way Out': In China, Coronavirus Takes Toll on Other Patients". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  7. Gui, de Mulder. "76 DAYS (2020) - Hao Wu Exclusive Interview".
  8. AsiaNews.it. "'76 days', a film about horror and heroism in Wuhan". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  9. "76 Days". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  10. Fleming Jr, Mike (October 13, 2020). "MTV Documentary Films Acquires Toronto Docu '76 Days' On COVID Outbreak In Wuhan, China". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. Erbland, Kate (October 6, 2020). "AFI FEST 2020 Announces Full Lineup, Including Majority Female-Directed Films". IndieWire. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. "76 Days". AFI Fest. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. "Films". Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  14. Dino-Ray Ramos (November 2, 2020). "'76 Days': MTV Documentary Films Sets Release Date For COVID-19 Docu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  15. "76 Days (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  16. "76 Days". Metacritic. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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