Smog Town

Year: 2019
Country: China
Director: Meng Han
Genre: documentary
Runtime: 89 min.
Age: 12+

A case study on China’s fight against pollution: the local environmental protection bureau VS industry

Langfang, about 40 kilometers from Beijing, is one of the most air-polluted cities in China. But at the local environmental protection bureau, deputy chief Li and his assistant Hu are working hard to change this. This observational bureaucratic drama highlights a situation that parallels the global environmental crisis: the urgency to tackle the problem is obvious, but who will pick up the tab?

The Chinese government’s strict environmental policy, which includes imposing sanctions on the mayors who are responsible, puts the employees of the environmental protection bureau in a difficult position. How do you navigate between the divergent interests of government, industry and employees affected by the policy?

Online Talk with the climatologist Pavel Konstantinov and Vasiliy Yablokov: December 19th, 20:00

Awards & Festivals:

Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival – Green Dox
Docville – participation