“Never Forget” Wuhan and Toll of Coronavirus: ‘THR Presents’ Q&A With ’76 Days’ Director Hao Wu1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWith the help of covert reporters on the ground in China and direction from documentary filmmakers Hao Wu and Jean Tsien in New York, the team behind 76 Days was able to bring the bravery of frontline workers and the painful images of the impact of the novel coronavirus to a global audience.
To gain access to the highly restricted Wuhan hospitals during lockdown, two anonymous local reporters — who are also credited as co-directors on the film — used their press credentials to bypass security and shoot footage inside four different hospitals, director Hao Wu told THR‘s Rebecca Keegan during The Hollywood Reporter Presents Q&A powered by Vision Media.
But after the reporters got into the hospitals in Wuhan, the people in charge didn’t have enough time or energy to police what they could or couldn’t record. “The filmmakers pretty much roamed freely in the hospitals,” Wu said, adding that hospital staff may have even welcomed the press in order to gain more visibility into their dire circumstances and attract donations of PPE during the shortage.
Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
