Nanfu Wang is a young Chinese woman who cherishes the ideals of creative expression and artistic freedom. She gets a chance to test both values during the summer that she spends making a film about a woman's rights activist in China. This documentary is her first film.
Ye Haiyan, who has the nickname of Sparrow or Hooligan Sparrow, has made it her mission to educate the public about the plight of women sex workers. With her new soul sister, filmmaker Wang, she travels to Hainan where a sex scandal has taken place. A school principal brought several elementary school girls to a hotel for an overnight stay. A lawyer explains that although these girls were raped, a legal loophole enables corrupt individuals to sexually abuse children by claiming that they paid for their services.
Sparrow speaks out against this horrific incident and carries a sign saying: "Hey Principal, how about a night with me instead of those girls?" As a result she is harassed by thugs, evicted from her apartment, and arrested for assault by the police after she has been manhandled and hurt. Her philosophy is: "You can kill me but you can't kill the truth." Wang respects Sparrow's courage and commitment to exposing wrong.
The human rights theme of the need to speak out against governmental power, corruption, and harassment comes through loud and clear here. It is appalling to witness the disgust the police exhibit toward the women activists and to realize that someone like Haiyan could be considered an enemy of the state.
Hooligan Sparrow was presented as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York City. It will be presented on PBS's POV series on October 17, 2016. Visit the official site for other cities, dates, and times.