''Ximei'' is a 2019 American documentary directed by
Andy Cohen, co-directed by
Gaylen Ross
Gaylen Ross (born August 15, 1950) is an American director, writer, producer and actress, best known for playing Francine Parker in the 1978 horror film '' Dawn of the Dead'' and also noted for directing the 2008 documentary '' Killing Kasztne ...
and produced by
Ai Weiwei. In a gritty, vérité style, the film follows the harrowing crusades of a peasant woman named Liu Ximei. She fights for the survival of fellow
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
victims who contracted AIDS in the 1990s when Chinese health officials encouraged millions of poor farmers to sell their blood for a pittance under catastrophic health conditions.
Production of Ximei lasted seven years, due to interference from Chinese officials; Cohen's phone and internet messages were spied on, parts of the footage regularly confiscated, and he and Ross were expelled from the AIDS villages on various occasions. Subjects of the film were often detained by the authorities and forced to sign statements and the film's Chinese cameraman was arrested and later released for his activism.
Reception
The
LA Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
’ Kimber Myers observed, "No wonder China was so concerned about the production of Ximei…But this isn’t simply a damning indictment of the nation; it is a hopeful celebration of one woman’s activism and kindness in the face of her own struggle with AIDS."
In the opinion of Ben Kenigsberg of the NY Times, "It does pay its subjects the ultimate courtesy, treating them as officials have not: as fully rounded human beings."
Joe Bendel wrote, "Cohen & Ross’s ''Ximei'' (executive produced by Ai Weiwei) is very highly recommended as a profile in courage and an indictment of the CCP’s callous contempt for human life."
In Spiritual Practice Micah Bucey states, "Ximei, directed with a combination of in-the-moment grit and great sensitivity by Andrew Cohen and Gaylen Ross, follows this no-nonsense justice warrior through her often mundane days."
Awards
* Close Up Edinburgh Docufest – ''Best social impact Doc''
* Movies that Matters – ''Golden Butterfly Award''
* The Telly Awards – ''Silver Telly Award''
* Golden Gate International Film Festival – ''Film of the Festival''
* Golden Gate International Film Festival – ''Best Cinematography''
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, id=tt9909228
2019 films
2019 documentary films
Documentary films about China
Documentary films about HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS in American films
American documentary films
2010s American films