By Dan Edwards Using (dir. Zhou Hao) Southern Metropolis Daily has a proud reputation as one of the very few newspapers in mainland China with real teeth, so it’s perhaps not surprising the paper’s ranks have also produced such sharp-eyed documentarian as Zhou Hao. Zhou’s stories focus on minor, charismatic players in contemporary Chinese society, honing in on small stories to make broader points about various social milieux, from the world of heroin addition in Using (2008)

Using (dir. Zhou Hao) Chris Hawke profiles documentary filmmaker Zhou Hao in the Global Times. In the past, Zhou’s probing work has screened on CCTV and other Chinese mainstream broadcast outlets, but his three most recent documentaries “on drug users, policemen, and a cadre accused of corruption” have been off-limits as of yet. Zhou maintains that his purpose in filmmaking is not politically motivated: “My films have no political purpose. I observe people, I don’t judge them

Using (dir. Zhou Hao) A former Xinhua News Agency and Southern Weekly photographer, Zhou Hao began making independent films in 2002. Among his perceptive and socially-conscious documentaries are Houjie Township (2003), about migrant workers in a Chinese export-processing zone; Senior Year (2005), about high school students preparing for the gaokao, college entrance exams; Using (2008), about a couple struggling with heroin addiction; The Transition Period (2009), about an out

dGenerate Films is proud to announce that Crime and Punishment by Zhao Liang and Using by Zhou Hao, two important works from China’s contemporary independent documentary scene,are now available for institutional purchase in the US as part of the dGenerate Films catalog. Together, these two films offer a candid, revealing look at two facets of crime and law enforcement in China: the interrogation tactics of military police in Northeast China, and the lives of drug addicts in G

Last Lumberjacks (dir. Yu Guangyi) Organized by Indie Workshop, Non-Profit Incubator (NPI) and the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, the Eyes on the World series, running April 16-20, examines significant social issues facing contemporary China through the lens of these ten documentary films. These screenings will take place at the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in the 798 Art District in Beijing. Full list of films after the break (Screening times are not listed – chec

Zhang Xianmin (photo courtesy China Independent Film Festival) One of our key partners in China is Zhang Xianmin, who is a leading figure of the independent film scene. Film producer, writer, programmer: these are just a few of his credentials. And now, Zhang will be contributing a series of articles for our website, offering his own perspective on Chinese indie cinema. To kick things off, here are his thoughts on six recent Chinese independent documentaries, offering his ow

Gibsone Jessop Gallery in Toronto, Canada, launches a screening series of contemporary Chinese films in partnership with dGenerate Films. This five film series will begin with Ying Liang’s The Other Half, “a fierce and harrowing cry of political rage.” (The New Yorker) This marks the first in a five-film screening series at Toronto’s Gibsone Jessop Gallery. Gibsone Jessop not only showcases international contemporary art from around the globe, with a special focus on China,