They are like children in a Dickens novel, but they live in contemporary Mainland China. Due to social prejudices, the children of convicted criminals are frequently shunned by their extended families and left at the mercy of the state. Thousands of these despised and dispossessed kids have found shelter in Sun Valley, a communal orphanage founded by Grandma Zheng, a former prison guard-turned social worker. We see life in Sun Valley through the eyes of several recently arrived and long-term residents in Kaspar Astrup Schröder’s “Waiting for the Sun,” which screens during the 2017 AFI Docs Film Festival.
Evidently, the father of the Zhang Siblings (twin teen daughters and a younger son) really committed the murder he was convicted for. That is not always a given. There is no denying his remorse, at least with respect to his children. Since their mother deserted them at an early age, he has been the trio’s sole support. Sun Valley is pretty much their only option—and it will help that they will still have each other.
