Hot Docs 2009

A powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the heartbreaking toll war takes on the innocent, Nanking tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China in the early days of the Second World War. As part of a campaign to conquer all of China, the Japanese subjected Nanking-which was then China's capital-to months of aerial bombardment. When the city fell, the Japanese army unleashed murder and rape on a horrifying scale. In the midst of the rampage, a small group of Westerners banded together to establish a safety zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. The story is told through deeply moving interviews with Chinese survivors, chilling archival footage and photos of the events, and testimonies of former Japanese soldiers. At the heart of Nanking is a filmed stage reading of the Westerners' letters and diaries, featuring Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow. The film puts the viewer on the streets of Nanking and brings the forgotten past to startling life.