One Child Nation

In her childhood, there were moments during which Nanfu was ashamed of having a brother. The Chinese filmmaker, now a mother herself and residing in the US, returns to her hometown to face a dark chapter in both her own and China’s history: due to concerns about overpopulation, a strict one-child policy has been propagated in China for more than 35 years – with devastating consequences. Enormous social pressure and state-initiated measures, such as fines and forced sterilization, were standard practice. What impact did this policy have on families and village communities where one could be “betrayed” by one’s own at any time? What happened to unwanted children? Armed with unresolved questions and a camera, Nanfu confronts her own family, as well as former neighbours, midwives and civil servants. ONE CHILD NATION uncovers a dark chapter in recent Chinese history, and provides an equally personal and universal insight into the implications of state-led family planning.