China

Witness the legend’s origin.Read More »

Synopsis
The Chinese documentary movement continues to evolve, reaching new levels of awareness of issues complicating its mission to objectively capture the reality of its society. Among these issues is that of performance in its subjects; this is especially critical given that an increasing number of documentaries are personal portraits that delve into subjective experiences. Perhaps the most memorable instance of the past year is Qiu Jiongjiong’s stark black-and-white series of interviews with transsexual cabaret singer Madame Bi Langda. Madame Bi’s recollections of past experiences explicitly touch on how she performs her way through life, whether interacting with friends, lovers or her audience. More than a document of the increasingly complicated gender identity politics in China, it’s also a poignant testimony of a life dedicated to articulating the aesthetics of living.Read More »

Quote:
A man is murdered on a bus for trying to stop a pickpocket; no one lifts a finger to help him. He returns as a ghost and questions the empathy of the onlookers.

There are three spaces in this film. One of them is reality–like the incident on the bus. Another is the space of history, stretching back centuries to the matriarchal society of Banpo Village, outside Xi’an. You see the Mother, playing the drum. And there’s also the space of the imaginary–what the characters are thinking. In fact, it’s the space of the human soul.Read More »

Storyline
Li Baicheng is a charismatic fortune teller who services a clientele of prostitutes and marginalized figures whose jobs, like his, are commonplace but technically illegal in China. He practices his ancient craft in a village near Beijing while taking care of his deaf and dumb wife Pearl, who he rescued from her family’s mistreatment. Winter brings a police crackdown on both fortune tellers and prostitutes, forcing Li and Pearl into temporary exile in his hometown, where he revisits old family demons. His humble story is told with chapter headings similar to Qing Dynasty popular fiction. Written by AnonymousRead More »

Storm Under the Sun is a documentary about one of the “political storms” by Mao Zedong that fell upon the intellectuals of China in the 50’s. Centered around the Hu Feng Case, the documentary traces the synergy that generated such an event, Mao’s personal involvement in every step, and various victims’ reaction to and realizations following the humiliation and accusations.Read More »

An old teahouse in Beijing serves as the stage for a drama that unfolds over several tumultuous decades of modern Chinese history, from the waning days of the Qing dynasty to the eve of the People’s Republic.Read More »

Plot: The young teacher Li Mingguang is to be murdered in the north of China because of having taken the virginity from the young girl Li Pingwa. The whole family wants to take revenge on him for that, even the whole village.Read More »

Quote:
The rise and fall of a family in Shanghai. Once wealthy and capitalist, the family unraveled during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. Their home, once a French concession mansion, was converted into a multi-family dwelling. Years later, the matriarch of the family announces that she is dying. When her four grown children return, it becomes the first time the family has been under one roof in decades.Read More »

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.Read More »