Now Reading: Film on ex-Shanghai mayor’s queer marriage premieres in UK
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Film on ex-Shanghai mayor’s queer marriage premieres in UK
Documentary 'The Wolf', which follows former Shanghai mayor Yuan as she embraces her lesbian identity late in life, had its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in the UK. The French-Indian co-production…
The Story in Brief
Documentary 'The Wolf', which follows former Shanghai mayor Yuan as she embraces her lesbian identity late in life, had its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in the UK. The French-Indian co-production is produced by Kabir Khan and executive produced by Kiran Rao. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film tracks Yuan, nicknamed 'The Wolf', through one year from winter 2023 to autumn 2024, capturing her relationship with younger partner Zhen Zhen and her unconventional marriage to her husband Zhang.
China removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 2001 but still follows a 'three nos' policy: no approval, no disapproval, no promotion. Yuan, one of China's few female mayors, married Zhang and had a child before coming out. Zhang discovered her sexual orientation in 2006 but chose to stay, calling her irreplaceable. The film highlights the quiet solidarity Yuan found through online queer communities in a buttoned-down society.
The Indian Opinion
Western narratives often paint China's LGBTQ reality as pure oppression, but 'The Wolf' shows how one person negotiates tradition, family duty and personal truth without rebellion. The film's hero is arguably Zhang, who stays after learning the truth, a detail that challenges simplistic binaries of victim and oppressor. Yet the documentary skips over the daughter's perspective entirely. Will Yuan's own family watch this film, and if so, how will they react?
Source: cinemaexpress.com
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