Il bravo gatto prende i topi
Directed by
Having the world's largest population makes China a main player on the international scene, putting it in a role that has revealed some of its darker aspects: denial of civil rights, poor working conditions, widespread environmental problems, backward rural life. Close to 800 million Chinese live in rural areas. Although living conditions have improved, they contrast sharply with the growth of cities in the coastal regions. In this collection of microstories the documentary unites the many voices of Chinese peasants. The title quotes a famous phrase by Deng Xiaoping from the early 1960s: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice", which somehow summarizes the Chinese people's pragmatic spirit, determination and pride.
«Shooting in rural China and in the east coast cities, which have absorbed tens of millions of villagers in search of work, was, besides the professional challenge, an extraordinary life experience. On our journey we rediscovered the true meaning of curiosity and of the willingness to listen; we also realized that our interpretation and view of the world is neither objective nor definitive but just one of many possible readings. Today more than ever, in order to understand change and form an opinion, one needs to have different points of view to account for the complexity of a place, a people, a world. Our films are intended as modest attempts at unravelling this complexity».
Geographical areas and populations
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Creative Europe Media Program. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.