76 Days
On 23 January 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging COVID-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis, 76 Days tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandfather with dementia searching for his way home, and a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to the families of the deceased. These raw and intimate stories bear witness to the death and rebirth of a city under a 76-day lockdown, and to the human resilience that persists in times of profound tragedy.
Technology executive-turned-filmmaker Hao Wu takes a raw and human approach to storytelling in an era when culture evolves online. Wu previously held management roles at Alibaba, TripAdvisor and Excite@Home. His award-winning films have received support from JustFilms/Ford Foundation, ITVS, Sundance, Tribeca and international broadcasters. His 2018 documentary film People's Republic of Desire was screened at the 16th Verzió in the Media the 4th Estate section.
Weixi Chen is a video reporter for Esquire China. His documentary shorts have been supported by Tencent News and First Documentary Lab, and have won awards at Hong Kong International Documentary Festival and Caixin Media Awards.
This local reporter in Wuhan wishes to remain anonymous to protect his identity. On assignment to take photos for his employer at different Wuhan hospitals during the lockdown, he started shooting videos for the first time, for himself.