In the Same Breath

Last updated

In the Same Breath
In the Same Breath poster.jpeg
Official poster
Directed by Nanfu Wang
Produced by
  • Nanfu Wang
  • Christopher Clements
  • Julie Goldman
  • Carolyn Hepburn
  • Jialing Zhang
Cinematography
  • Jarred Alterman
  • Peter Alton
  • Tom Bergmann
  • Gil De la Rosa
  • Michelle Gao
  • Yuanchen Liu
  • Rex Miller
  • Martina Radwan
  • Sam Rong
  • Michael Shade
  • R.C. Song
  • Paul Szynol
  • K. Yang
  • Matt Yu
Edited byMichael Shade
Nanfu Wang
Music byNathan Halpern
Production
companies
Distributed by HBO
Release dates
  • January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28)(Sundance)
  • August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States

In the Same Breath is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Nanfu Wang. It follows how the Chinese and American governments reacted to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contents

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021. It was released in a limited release on August 12, 2021, by HBO Documentary Films prior to its broadcast on HBO on August 18, 2021.

Synopsis

The film follows the response of the Chinese and American governments to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Production

While Nanfu Wang was still working on another project, she set out to make a short film about the Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving her son with her mother. But as COVID-19 spread, Wang became worried and started looking for more information during her stay in China, she found that much of it was censored or false propaganda disseminated by the Chinese government. She began contacting cinematographers in Wuhan, China and soon realized that the stories about the pandemic were too important to be in a short film. She started incorporating the American response to the pandemic after seeing some U.S. health officials share misinformation about it. [1] HBO Documentary Films came on board to produce and distribute the film. [2]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021. [3] [4] It also screened at South by Southwest in March 2021. [5] It was released in a limited release on August 12, 2021, prior to its broadcast on HBO on August 18, 2021. [6] [7]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 50 critics, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The critics' consensus reads: "Gripping and clear-eyed, In the Same Breath captures history as it's being written -- and governmental failures as they amplify worldwide tragedy." [8]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Cinema Eye Honors March 1, 2022 Outstanding Direction Nanfu Wang Nominated [9] [10]
Outstanding ProductionNanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, and Carolyn HepburnNominated
Outstanding Broadcast FilmIn the Same BreathWon
IDA Documentary Awards March 4, 2022Best FeatureNanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, and Carolyn HepburnNominated [11] [12]
Independent Spirit Awards March 6, 2022 Best Documentary Feature In the Same BreathNominated [13]
Producers Guild of America Awards March 19, 2022 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, and Carolyn HepburnNominated [14]
Peabody Awards June 6–9, 2022DocumentaryIn the Same BreathWon [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanfu Wang</span> Chinese-born American filmmaker (b. 1985)

Nanfu Wang is a Chinese-born American filmmaker. Her debut film Hooligan Sparrow premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2017. Her second film, I Am Another You, premiered at SXSW Film Festival in 2017 and won two special jury awards, and her third film, One Child Nation, won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Wang is the recipient of a 2021 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking, from the Vilcek Foundation.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018.

<i>One Child Nation</i> 2019 American documentary film

One Child Nation is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang about the fallout of China's one-child policy that lasted from 1979 to 2015. The documentary is made up of various interviews with former village chiefs, state officials, ex-human traffickers, artists, midwives, journalists, researchers, and victims of the one-child policy. Nanfu Wang stated, in a roundtable discussion, that when creating the film she wanted to do a "360 degree with the policy—people who carried out the policy and people who were the victims of the policy". During the film, Nanfu Wang discovers more about the ties her own family have with the one-child policy, as they unsuccessfully attempt to locate her cousin who was abandoned by her father’s sister in 1989. By the end of the film, Nanfu Wang admits that despite the horrors of the one-child policy, there is an overwhelming acceptance of the policy that remains in China, and a shared attitude that there was no other choice. The closing scenes of the film show the growing propaganda for two child families, presenting the repetition of state interference with family planning within China.

<i>Charm City Kings</i> 2020 film directed by Angel Manuel Soto

Charm City Kings is a 2020 American drama film directed by Angel Manuel Soto from a screenplay by Sherman Payne and a story by Chris Boyd, Kirk Sullivan, and Barry Jenkins. It is based on the 2013 documentary 12 O'Clock Boys by Lotfy Nathan. It stars Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Meek Mill, Will Catlett, and Teyonah Parris.

<i>Welcome to Chechnya</i> 2020 documentary about the anti-LGBT purges in Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya is a 2020 documentary film by American reporter, author and documentarian David France. The film centers on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya of the late 2010s, filming LGBT Chechen refugees using hidden cameras as they made their way out of Russia through a network of safehouses aided by activists.

<i>The Nowhere Inn</i> 2020 American film

The Nowhere Inn is a 2020 American mockumentary psychological thriller-comedy film directed by Bill Benz from a screenplay by Annie Clark and Carrie Brownstein. It stars Clark, Brownstein and Dakota Johnson.

<i>I Carry You with Me</i> 2020 American-Mexican drama film

I Carry You with Me (Te Llevo Conmigo) is a 2020 Spanish-language drama film directed by Heidi Ewing, from a screenplay by Ewing and Alan Page Arriaga. It stars Armando Espitia, Christian Vázquez, Michelle Rodríguez, Ángeles Cruz, Arcelia Ramírez and Michelle González.

<i>Boys State</i> (film) 2020 documentary film directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine

Boys State is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. It follows a thousand teenage boys attending Boys State in Texas, coming to build a representative government from the ground up.

<i>The Truffle Hunters</i> 2020 documentary film directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

The Truffle Hunters is a 2020 documentary film directed and produced by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw. It follows a group of aging men hunting in the woods, for a prized quarry, the Alba truffle. Luca Guadagnino serves as an executive producer under his Frenesy Film Company banner.

<i>A Thousand Cuts</i> 2020 Filipino-American film by Ramona S. Diaz

A Thousand Cuts is a 2020 Philippine-American documentary film about Maria Ressa, the founder of the online news site Rappler. Directed by Ramona Diaz, it explores the conflicts between the press and the Filipino government under President Rodrigo Duterte.

<i>Crazy, Not Insane</i> 2020 American documentary film

Crazy, Not Insane is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Alex Gibney. It follows the research of psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis who studied the psychology of murders. It is narrated by Laura Dern.

<i>76 Days</i> 2020 documentary film by Hao Wu and Weixi Chen

76 Days is a 2020 Chinese-American documentary film directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and an anonymous third. Set in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it captures the struggles and human resilience in the battle to survive the spread of the disease in Wuhan, China.

City So Real is an American documentary miniseries directed by Steve James, revolving around the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered on October 29, 2020, on National Geographic.

<i>Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street</i> 2021 American documentary film

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Marilyn Agrelo.

Am I OK? is a 2022 American comedy-drama film directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne and written by Lauren Pomerantz. It stars Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, June Diane Raphael, Tig Notaro, and Sean Hayes.

Ángel Manuel Soto is a Puerto Rican filmmaker. He is best known for directing Charm City Kings (2020) and the DC Studios film Blue Beetle (2023).

<i>The First Wave</i> (film) 2021 American documentary film by Matthew Heineman

The First Wave is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Matthew Heineman. The film follows a hospital in New York City, as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Gibney serves as an executive producer.

<i>We Met in Virtual Reality</i> 2022 documentary

We Met in Virtual Reality is a 2022 documentary film that takes place entirely within the video game VRChat. It explores the social relations developed by the users of VRChat during the pandemic, and how their lives were changed by their time on the platform. It was created by Joe Hunting, who was the director and writer of the script.

Mind Over Murder is a 2022 American documentary television miniseries revolving around the Beatrice Six, directed by Nanfu Wang. It consists of 6 episodes and premiered on June 20, 2022, on HBO.

The Princess is a 2022 British documentary film about Diana, Princess of Wales, directed by Ed Perkins. The film is produced by Lightbox in association with Sky and HBO Documentary Films.

References

  1. ↑ P. Means, Sean (January 27, 2021). "These Sundance films bring the COVID-19 pandemic to the screen". The Salt Lake City Tribune . Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ Coyle, Jake (January 28, 2021). "t Sundance, pandemic dramas unfold on screen and off". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ Brough, Rick (December 22, 2020). "Sundance Unveils 2021 Film Festival Lineup". KPCW. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival unveils slate for 1st virtual edition". ABC News. December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  5. ↑ Day-Ramos, Dino (February 10, 2021). "SXSW Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup; Charli XCX Quarantine Feature To Close Fest; Tom Petty Docu Set As Centerpiece". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ "In the Same Breath". Laemmle.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ "HBO Documentary IN THE SAME BREATH Debuts August 18 (Official Trailer)". WarnerMedia . August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  8. ↑ "In the Same Breath (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ Pond, Steve (March 1, 2022). "Flee Wins Top Prize at Cinema Eye Honors for Documentaries". TheWrap. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  10. ↑ Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "Flee & Summer Of Soul Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Nominees Revealed for the 37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards". International Documentary Association. November 15, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  12. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (January 6, 2022). "IDA Awards Shifts 2022 Ceremony To March As Virtual-Only Event". Deadline. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  13. ↑ Long, Brent; Tangcay, Jazz (December 14, 2021). "Indie Spirit Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". Variety . Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (January 27, 2022). "PGA Awards Nominations: Licorice Pizza, Don't Look Up, Dune, King Richard & CODA Among Pics Vying For Marquee Prize". Deadline. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  15. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (June 8, 2022). "Peabody Awards: The Wonder Years, In The Same Breath, We Are Lady Parts Among Latest Winners". Deadline. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.