76 Days – TIFF Presentation

Nurse drawing a smiley face on a medical glove to raise spirits of hospitalized coronavirus patients in a hospital in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC.

The Toronto International Film Festival will present the world premiere of 76 DAYS, a raw and emotional look at the struggles of the people of Wuhan, China, in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Directed by New York filmmaker Hao Wu (People’s Republic of Desire) and two China-based journalists (Weixi Chen and “Anonymous”) who took enormous personal risks to film at four different hospitals, 76 DAYS is the first documentary feature on the coronavirus pandemic to screen at a film festival.

Elderly female patient of COVID-19 accompanied by two nurses after being admitted to a hospital in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC.

On January 23rd, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging COVID-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis, 76 DAYS tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandpa with dementia searching for his way home, a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to families of the deceased. These raw and intimate stories bear witness to the death and rebirth of a city under a 76-day lockdown, and to the human resilience that persists in times of profound tragedy.

Medical workers limiting the number of patients admitted into a hospital during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC

76 DAYS is directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. It is produced by Hao Wu and Jean Tsien. The film is written and edited by Hao Wu and shot by Anonymous and Weixi Chen. Executive producers are Bryn Mooser, Roberto Grande, Geralyn White Dreyfous, and Naja Pham Lockwood. North American sales: CAA Media Finance. International sales: Dogwoof.

93 mins. USA, China. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Acquisition title.

Police officer monitoring street traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC.

TIFF Screenings:
*P&I – Sunday, Sept. 13, 11:00 am – Digital Cinema Pro
Avail. worldwide except for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Monday, Sept. 14, 5:15 pm – Bell Lightbox 4
*Tuesday, Sept. 15, 6:00 pm – Bell Digital Cinema
Only avail. in Canada
Thursday, Sept. 17, 4:30 pm – Bell Lightbox 1

*Denotes digital screenings