The Award Winning Documentary - PLEASE VOTE FOR ME! (part 1)

Please Vote for Me is a 2007 documentary film following the elections for class monitor in a 3rd grade class of eight year old children in the Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan, China. This was reported to be the first election of its type for a class monitor held in a school in China, as well as an interesting use of classic democratic voting principles and interpersonal dynamics.

It gives a glimpse into China's contemporary urban middle classes. It won the Sterling Feature Award at Silverdocs in 2007. In November 2007, Please Vote for Me was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of 15 films on its documentary feature Oscar shortlist. The list was narrowed to five films on January 22, 2008, but Please Vote for Me did not make it to the final five.

The film is part of the "Why Democracy?" series. It was aired in no less than 35 different countries around the world in October 2007, including BBC in the UK and PBS in the United States

PLEASE CLICK ON THE VIDEO RESPONSE TO ADVANCE TO PART 2

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• PBS
• award
• winning
• documentary
• why
• democracy
• please
• vote
• for
• me
• Chinese
• kids
• campaign
• political
• office
• school
• classmates
• China
• culture

[vashonwashington]

cheng-cheng fo sho broskis

[forstorage]

@tearitrightup he bought vote by promising people positions in his administration. that's not quite right.

he's the kind of figure who would do anything to get elected. -- career politician.

[kulgan18]

lol that was some dirty campaign trick. The Kid is like a mini Jesse Helms.

[kulgan18]

Cant say why people are making a big deal about this, after thats how they elect people in minor positions of rural areas.

Maybe is not a perfect democracy but there is an election, only different is those kids don't belong to a political party.

But is very interesting to see how children behave in a democratic process. Is very cute how they start crying after they hurt the girls feeling and then apologize

[stupidbearystory]

@sichaoxian can't agree you more. I grew up in shanghai and what we usually did was to nominate several kids and vote them to the position they wanted to get. Simple as that! I'm so sick of watching so much faked "terrible facts" about China. These kids are only 8! And ppl are making a big deal out of them? Is that democracy? Is that humane? I'm leaving US cuz democracy is becoming a big global bully.

[sichaoxian]

first election of its type for a class monitor held in a school in China"

WTF?!!

We had elections in secondary school

sometimes we had appted monitor, sometimes we vote. And it was just as simple as that! we vote anonymously. Then there is someone to read out loud the votes in front of everyone else.

at least that is what I had experienced in Beijing (I came to Canada when I was 13, grade 8)

Geez, someone just love to make up ugly stories and rumours about China, assuming they're all brainless

[Kaname1441]

So sweet and sad when they are all crying^^

[Kaname1441]

So sweet when they are all crying^^

[TopazSkillMauler]

Chinese parents of the current generation have spoiled kids.