Hooligan Sparrow

Released Jul 22, 2016

1h 24m

Documentary

Crime

Drama

List

97%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

75%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

Human rights activist Ye Haiyan is chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors after she seeks justice against an elementary school principal who abused six girls.

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Critics Consensus

Nanfu Wang demonstrates the first-hand integrity of a documentarian putting their life on the line to get the truth out in this suspenseful and moving exposé on corruption and injustice.

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Wang reveals the Chinese government treating public protests against official abuses as graver offenses than the abuses themselves; she documents a regime of violence that suppresses dissent and sustains impunity.

May 17, 2021

Full Review

John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Ms. Wang shows an inordinate amount of courage, a kind of guerrilla tenacity, in following Ms. Ye through her protests in Hainan, and her subsequent harassment.

Oct 14, 2016

Full Review

Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

The searing documentary "Hooligan Sparrow" is a portrait of courage.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 8, 2016

Full Review

Harris Dang

The AU Review

Hooligan Sparrow must been seen by the widest audience possible.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 1, 2018

Full Review

Andrew Parker

The Gate

Wang has bravely crafted an indispensible documentation of how the Chinese government uses threats and intimidation to squash dissension...

Rated: 4.4/5

Aug 28, 2018

Full Review

Phoebe Chen

4:3

To see Wang simply operating the camera is gratifying; a gesture that asserts critical presence in the face of state-orchestrated odds.

Rated: Recommended

Apr 1, 2017

Full Review

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Audience Member

12/6/16 Netflix A Chinese profile in courage. If we think China has made big strides in human rights then they must have really been mired in the mud before. We have our problems but it sure beats living in an oppressive government country. Good for Ms. Wang and Ye for bringing this story to the world.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Frances H

Profiles in the courage to pursue the right, Hooligan Sparrow shows that China hasn't come all that far since Tiananmen Square.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/16

Full Review

Audience Member

Fascinating Chinese documentary more about filming a documentary than about the real subject.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A bold piece of renegade filmmaking

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

freeson w

Brilliant documentary about progressive values clashing with Chinese government.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Nanfu Wang

Director

Jimmy Wang Yu

Actor

Nanfu Wang

Writer

Andy Cohen

Executive Producer

Alison Klayman

Executive Producer

Nanfu Wang

Producer

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Synopsis

Human rights activist Ye Haiyan is chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors after she seeks justice against an elementary school principal who abused six girls.

Director: Nanfu Wang
Producer: Andy Cohen, Alison Klayman
Screenwriter: Nanfu Wang
Distributor: The Film Collaborative
Genre: Documentary, Crime, Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 22, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2016
Runtime: 1h 24m

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