Woody Allen Attends Screening of One Child Nation

The special screening of Nanfu Wang’s One Child Nation, hosted by Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin at Lincoln Center this week, had some special guests among the attending elite of New York documentary filmmakers: Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi. The subject of this riveting documentary is the effect of China’s one child policy in that country. Said to help with population control, the rule of law, enforced in China from 1979 to 2015, severely punished families for having more than what was allowed, with forced sterilization and late term abortions. In the general propaganda extolling the virtues of keeping down the country’s birthrate, pop culture musical numbers show festively dressed women singing how wonderful life is with only one. Needless to say, families were devastated.

Introducing the film, Chai, as Vasarhelyi is known, invited all to a reception at Indie Foods, the cafe outside the screening room, warning, “You may need a drink after this one.” Allen, his hat pulled down, did not join the fun. But I did get to congratulate him on the good word for his latest film: “I can’t wait to see it,” I said. “You’ll have to go to Europe,” he replied glumly. As yet, with no plans for American distribution, A Rainy Day in New York, may be worth the trip.