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    Selling McDonald’s in China: an ad exec reflects on food porn and consumerism

    When John Benet, an American advertising producer, is sent to China to make a McDonald’s commercial, he starts to question the language of advertising and its origins. Although he enjoys his work, he is ambivalent about its impact on society. An endearing portrait of a conflicted modern-day ‘Mad Man’, Sunshine explores the world of advertising from an insider’s perspective.

    Director: Doug Nichol

    Producer: John Benet

    23 April 2014
    A man with short hair holding a cigarette, wearing a sweater and shirt, with a calm expression against a green background.

    videoFilm and visual culture

    ‘From dream to reality!’ The 1960s spoof that marked the dawn of self-aware advertising

    9 minutes

    Black-and-white photo of a man in a patterned suit, bow tie and hat, standing on a lit street at night with buildings in the background.

    videoValues and beliefs

    How a millionaire traded his wealth for happiness – and a shoeshine box

    4 minutes

    A woman in a red Chinese outfit dancing with a man; she wears festive headgear with white feathers.

    videoWork

    Drudgery and dance lessons – work-life balance and the ‘Chinese Dream’

    15 minutes

    Photo of two young girls walking on a city street; one eating a lollipop, the other holding a paper bag, buildings in the background.

    videoChildhood and adolescence

    The Chinese-Canadian urban immigrant experience, narrated by a clever pre-teen

    12 minutes

    Man in a suit and bowler hat inspecting an item, with a red bus and a shield with three lions in the background.

    videoBiography and memoir

    Meet Haddon Salt – the would-have-been Colonel Sanders of fish and chips

    9 minutes

    Photo of a person with a backpack walking up a narrow outdoor staircase between brick buildings and lush greenery.

    videoHome

    Cheng visits his hometown, awash in the tides of history and time

    20 minutes

    Animated man with clenched fists in a fighting stance, wearing glasses, a red jacket, and a brown tie with a crowd in the background.

    videoSocial psychology

    A harrowing account of a 1970 ‘leadership seminar’ spotlights self-help’s dark side

    11 minutes

    An animated drawing of a red person touching a monochrome sketch of two people on a glass surface.

    videoDemography and migration

    An immigrant mother and her daughter finally explore the things they had left unsaid

    5 minutes

    A collage of school portraits with colourful hand-drawn mobile phones added over each student’s ear.

    videoLife stages

    A filmmaker reflects on his adolescence with the help of some long-lost friends

    9 minutes