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Oct 2, 2012

CinemaTalk: Interview with Zhu Rikun, Curator of Jacob Burns “Hidden China” Series, on A

This October the Jacob Burns Film Center presents “Hidden China,” a monthlong series of independent documentaries produced in China, selected Zhu Rikun, producer, programmer and founder of Fanhall Studio. Zhu Rikun is a major figure in contemporary Chinese independent film, having produced such acclaimed films as Karamay and Winter Vacation. Earlier in 2012 he served as an advisor on “Hidden Histories,” a series of Chinese independent documentaries co-curated by Gertjan Zuilh

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Aug 9, 2012

Meishi Street Reviewed in Senses of Cinema

In the online journal Senses of Cinema, Luke Robinson reviews the documentary Meishi Street (directed by Ou Ning) which will screen this weekend at the Melbourne International Film Festival, as part of “Street Level Visions“, a series of contemporary Chinese independent documentaries. Meishi Street shows ordinary Beijing citizens taking a stand against the planned destruction of their homes for the 2008 Olympics. An excerpt from Robinson’s review: An independent commission f

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Aug 8, 2012

Beijing Besieged by Waste Reviewed in Senses of Cinema

In the online journal Senses of Cinema, Christen Cornell reviews the environmental documentary Beijing Besieged by Waste (directed by Wang Jiuliang) which will screen this weekend at the Melbourne International Film Festival, as part of “Street Level Visions“, a series of contemporary Chinese independent documentaries. Excerpts from Cornell’s review: Like many of China’s independent documentary films, the making of Beijing Besieged by Waste was itself a form of political act

Shelly on Film: Fall Festival Report, Part Two: Under Safe Cover, a Fierce Debate

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Dec 6, 2011

Shelly on Film: Fall Festival Report, Part Two: Under Safe Cover, a Fierce Debate

By Shelly Kraicer Shu Haolun's "No. 89 Shimen Road" won the top prize at CIFF, but wasn't shown on Awards Night. The Nanjing-based China Independent Film Festival (28 October-1 November 2011), unlike the Beijing Independent Film Festival described previously, benefited from a substantial degree of official and semi-official “cover”. Unlike BIFF, there is a certain amount of practical compromise with official bodies and officially approved cinema: purity isn’t such an issue.

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Nov 6, 2011

Chinese-language films screening at UT Austin

The Department of Radio-Film-Television and the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin present: Contemporary Chinese-Language Cinema, Nov 9-13, 2011 with Peggy Hsiung-ping Chiao, distinguished Taiwanese scholar and film producer, alumna and recipient of the 2011-12 William Randolph Hearst Fellow Award from the College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin Public Lecture: Chinese-Language Cinema – The New Image Nov 11 (Fri) 3:30 p.m.

Online Videos and Communities Confront Social <i>Disorder</i> in China

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Oct 31, 2011

Online Videos and Communities Confront Social Disorder in China

By Maya E. Rudolph "Disorder" compiles numerous videos capturing social disharmony in China In an age where surveillance videos serve as a kind of documentary and internet gossip supercedes mainstream news cycles, the idea of tragedy is spun into a new place and time. Several weeks ago, a surveillance camera in Foshan’s Guangfo Hardware Market captured an incident wherein a small van ran over a two-year-old child left roaming alone in the market. The footage, now viewed by mi

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Oct 24, 2011

Beijing Independent Film Festival Proceeds Under Pressure; Full Program Listed

Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore reports for IPS: The Sixth Beijing Independent Film Festival (BIFF) has had to switch venues twice following pressure by the police, obliging the organisers to inform festival-goers of the last-minute location changes. BIFF, now in its sixth year, is showing over 50 cutting-edge feature films, documentaries, experimental works and animations in Songzhuang, a village on the outskirts of Beijing which is known as a hub for its avant-garde artistic comm

Review: <i>The Transition Period</i> shows the true power center of Chinese government

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Oct 20, 2011

Review: The Transition Period shows the true power center of Chinese government

By Isabella Tianzi Cai "The Transition Period" shows the inner workings of local politics in China U.S. ambassador to China Gary Locke’s recent arrival in Beijing generated intense discussions among Chinese nationals about how Chinese civil servants compare unfavorably to their American counterparts. As reported in a September 20th article in The Wall Street Journal’s blog “China Real Time Report,” the central government and its affiliated media bodies such as the Guangming D

Beijing New Youth Film Festival sets stage for young directors

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Oct 19, 2011

Beijing New Youth Film Festival sets stage for young directors

By Genevieve Carmel Participating filmmakers at the 2nd Annual Beijing New Youth Film Festival (photo: Genevieve Carmel) The 2nd annual Beijing New Youth Film Festival was held from September 9-18. Organized by the Trainspotting Culture Salon, this young festival makes space for new directors to showcase their work, connect with more experienced filmmakers, and receive feedback from peers and critics. Screenings and discussions were held at CNEX, Trainspotting, and the Wenjin

Thinking Differently on Steve JobsâˆšÂ¢â€šÃ‡Â¨â€šÃ‘Â¢ Legacy: the <i>Struggle</i> of Chinese Labor R

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Oct 18, 2011

Thinking Differently on Steve JobsâˆšÂ¢â€šÃ‡Â¨â€šÃ‘Â¢ Legacy: the Struggle of Chinese Labor R

By Maya Eva Gunst Rudolph Assembly line workers at Foxconn manufacturing facility subcontracted to Apple (photo: Kotaku) A man, a plan, an empire: the death of a CEO can signify so much. Honorific accounts of the late Steve Jobs have been in no short supply since the Wizard of Apple’s passing last week. A tech developer and designer of the highest order, Job’s passing leaves a legacy of stunning innovation amid a complex corporate structure and a few harder-edged questions ab

PBS “POV” Lists Essential Documentaries About China

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Oct 17, 2011

PBS “POV” Lists Essential Documentaries About China

Disorder (dir. Huang Weikai) tied for most mentions in PBS' poll of essential documentaries about China Last month the acclaimed documentary Last Train Home, about migrant laborers in China, made its US television premiere as part of the POV series on PBS. As part of the film’s online promotional efforts, POV polled several filmmakers and experts in Chinese cinema to recommend top documentaries and features about China. We were pleased to see that Disorder tied for most menti

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Aug 28, 2011

CinemaTalk: Conversation with Edward Wong of the New York Times on Chinese Indie Filmmaking

In the August 14 edition of the New York Times, Edward Wong profiles Zhao Liang, director of two of the most fearlessly independent social documentaries to come from China, Crime and Punishment and Petition. Zhao has recently transitioned to work with the Chinese government to produce Together, an “official” documentary on Chinese HIV victims. That decision and an earlier one involving involving Zhao’s withdrawal from an Australian film festival in support of a political prot

CinemaTalk: Chris Berry on Cultural Revolution Cinema

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Aug 23, 2011

CinemaTalk: Chris Berry on Cultural Revolution Cinema

Interviewed by Michael Chenkin Chris Berry Chris Berry is Professor of film and television studies at Goldsmiths University of London, and co-editor of the recent volume The New Chinese Documentary Film Movement: For the Public Record. Most recently he co-curated a special film series “A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire: The Cultural Revolution in the Cinema” with Katja Wiederspahn for the Film Archiv Austria, with the cooperation with the Museum fâˆšÃ‰Â¬Âºr VâˆšÃ‰Â¬âˆ‚l

What American Indies Can Learn from Their Chinese Counterparts

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Aug 18, 2011

What American Indies Can Learn from Their Chinese Counterparts

This article by dGenerate’s founder and president Karin Chien was originally published by IndieWire on the blog of independent film producer Ted Hope. This is a revised version of the article with some clarifications in language. Additionally, Karin and dGenerate’s VP of Programming Kevin Lee hand-picked six films as a starter kit for anyone interested in discovering the world of Chinese indie films. Full article and list of films can be found after the break. ———- Karin Chie

The Outrageous Reality of Chinese Cops: <i>Crime and Punishment</i>

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Aug 16, 2011

The Outrageous Reality of Chinese Cops: Crime and Punishment

By Steve Erickson Originally published on Fandor, where Crime and Punishment is available on streaming video. Zhao Liang has distinguished himself as one of the fiercest of the Chinese documentarians who’ve emerged in the past ten years. His 2007 debut Crime and Punishment offers a dose of Zhao’s filmmaking at full force. At first glance, the film, which closely follows the lives of Chinese military police monitoring a North Korean border town, might bring to mind American re

History in Progress, with Gaps: The National Museum of China, Part Two

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Aug 3, 2011

History in Progress, with Gaps: The National Museum of China, Part Two

By Shelly Kraicer Visitors seem dazzled by the might of painterly propaganda in the "90th anniversary of the CCP" painting exhibit. A major function of the National Museum of China is its definition and display of Chinese history under the Party. This section, somewhat romantically entitled “The Road of Rejuvenation” takes up a major part of NMC’s northern section. I walked through it all, from the Opium War to “China in Space.” Inside the Grand Hall. If it looks like an eleg

Heavenly Culture, with Product Placement: A Tour of the National Museum of China, Part One

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Aug 2, 2011

Heavenly Culture, with Product Placement: A Tour of the National Museum of China, Part One

By Shelly Kraicer The gallery of Ancient Chinese art in the National Museum of China may be the new highlight of anyone's visit to Beijing. Beijing’s new National Museum of China opened in March 2011. It’s been steadily expanding inside since, opening more and more galleries to the public. Recently, the galleries of ancient art were finally opened, so I decided it was time to make a thorough visit (I’d been once before in early May just to take a look at the building) and see

Cinematalk: Interview with Ying Qian of Harvard

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Aug 2, 2011

Cinematalk: Interview with Ying Qian of Harvard

By Michael Chenkin Ying Qian Ying Qian is a PhD candidate in East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. Qian’s area of focus involves examining the evolving documentary visions in 20th century China. She is interested in the social processes and “film thinking” that have enabled and shaped the making of documentary images, and the ways in which these images have provided framings, interventions and agencies to historical change. Recently, Qian co-organized

A Visit to the IFChina Original Studio with Filmmaker Jian Yi

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Jul 21, 2011

A Visit to the IFChina Original Studio with Filmmaker Jian Yi

By Dan Edwards IFChina Studio founder and filmmaker Jian Yi, outside the studio on the campus of Jinggangshan University Reprinted by permission from RealTime Arts Magazine. Ji’an doesn’t look like the most auspicious place for a groundbreaking experiment in China’s budding civil society. The town doesn’t appear in any English language guidebooks, the local station platform is just a low-slung slab of concrete and, in early spring when i visited, a bone chilling mist hung ove

CinemaTalk: A Conversation with Professor Guo-Juin Hong on Taiwan Cinema, 1949 and Documentaries

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Jul 5, 2011

CinemaTalk: A Conversation with Professor Guo-Juin Hong on Taiwan Cinema, 1949 and Documentaries

By Michael Chenkin Guo-Juin Hong is Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor of Chinese Cultural Studies at Duke University. Hong has published articles on such topics as early Shanghai cinema, new Taiwan cinema, documentary film, and queer visual culture. His essay on colonial modernity in 1930s Shanghai was the winner of the 2009 Katherine Kovacs Essay Award, Honorable Mention, and his dissertation received the 2005 Dissertation of the Year Award, Honorable Mention, both by the

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