Skip to main content
Tags: hbo | xi jinping | documentary | covid-19 | pandemic | nanfu wang

New HBO Documentary Alleges Chinese Cover-Up of COVID-19

xi jinping in a black suit and purple tie with red background
Chinese President Xi Jinping (Noel Cellis/Getty Images)

By    |   Thursday, 28 January 2021 02:49 PM EST

A scathing new film being released by HBO claims that authorities in China swept the COVID-19 threat under the rug instead of reacting with swift warnings to the public.

The documentary, called "In the Same Breath," alleges that authorities banned social media posts about the virus, chastised medical professionals who dared to speak about the dangers, and downplayed its severity in the general media and on television.

According to The Washington Post, experts are wondering how China, the largest entertainment market in the world, will react to the accusatory documentary made by Nanfu Wang, a well-known documentary filmmaker who specializes in movies exposing the impacts of authoritarian governance, corruption, and lack of accountability on the lives of individuals.

The film, scheduled for release later this year, alleges that the possible suppression of information about the virus led to countless deaths.

The film was financed and supervised by HBO and will be released sometime later this year, according to the Post. Media experts warn that ramifications by Chinese authorities may be damaging to HBO, a company that depends upon China to air much of its programming and blockbuster films.

The HBO documentary questions the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and critics are expecting a strong reaction when it premieres virtually at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, according to the Post. In the film, Wang alleges that Xi's government was eager to suppress any mention of the virus and says that Chinese reports as late as January 2020 declared "no clear evidence shows human-to-human transmission." Meanwhile, people were dying in the streets during that critical period, according to the Post.

Reviewers from the Sundance Film Festival called the movie a "wrenching, wide-reaching documentary that contextualized the trauma experienced by healthcare workers and the families of lost loved ones." It also probes the misinformation spread by Xi, who sowed mass confusion during the critical moments of the pandemic, according to reviews.

Media experts note that HBO may suffer the same retribution as Sony Pictures did in 1997 with the release of the Brad Pitt film "Seven Years in Tibet." It was condemned by the government of the People's Republic of China, and the director and Pitt were banned from entering China for more than a decade.

Both HBO and Wang herself have previously faced Chinese retribution. In 2018, the government banned programming on HBO's website after talk show host John Oliver made fun of Xi during a segment. Wang was chastised after filming "One Child Nation," which criticized the Chinese government's population control policies.

There are already signs of potential political trouble for "In the Same Breath." According to the Post, Wang's mother, who lives in China, has been approached by security agents about her daughter's activities. During the making of the documentary, Wang's China-based producers were called in for questioning every month and left the project shortly thereafter.

Wang, who resides in New York, says that many believe that the virus was an inevitable disaster and the Chinese government responded to the best of their ability.

"And that's not the reality," she says, according to the Post. "No one can make the calculations of how many lives could have been saved if precautions or warnings were given on time."

Lynn C. Allison

Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.

Newsfront
A scathing new film being released by HBO claims that authorities in China swept the COVID-19 threat under the rug instead of reacting with swift warnings to the public. The documentary, called "In the Same Breath," alleges that authorities banned social media posts about...
hbo, xi jinping, documentary, covid-19, pandemic, nanfu wang
551
2021-49-28
Thursday, 28 January 2021 02:49 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved