Queer independent cinema in China began to take shape in the early 2000s. The documentary practices of activists and filmmakers constitute a significant chapter in queer activism in China. The World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 proved to be a turning point for He Xiaopei. In its wake they became a leading documentary filmmaker in feminist and queer rights. Graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, Popo Fan became a prolific voice in queer cinema. They both represent different generations that have challenged social norms while navigating the struggling queer culture in mainland China.

We are now nearly three decades later, at a moment gripped by the global anti-gender politics. What, then, is the political-cultural and aesthetic use of queer cinema in China? How can we look back on the past, and how can this past help us to question the present and imagine a different queer future, both in China and beyond? What new queer voices might we still expect, or insist on hearing?

Bringing together He Xiaopei and Popo Fan with scholars Hongwei Bao, Jeroen de Kloet, and Andy Zhu, this program offers a unique opportunity to watch landmark queer cinema from China and engage in conversation with the makers. We will discuss the many ways of seeing queer China as an art of resilience.

Part 1

12:30-14:15

Bad Women of China (2021, 82mins)

Followed by QA with He Xiaopei

Part 2

15:00-16:30

New Beijing, New Marriage (2009, 18 minutes) + The VaChina Monologues (2013, 28mins) + The Drum Tower (2018, 18mins)

Followed by QA with Popo Fan

Part 3

17:00-18:00

Roundtable Discussion: Queer Cinema from China—A 30-Year Review

with Popo Fan, He Xiaopei, Hongwei Bao, Jeroen de Kloet, Andy Zhu

Closing

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Synopsis

1. Bad Women of China
He Xiaopei, China, 2021, 82 mins, Documentary

The film documents the life experiences and desires of three generations of Chinese women from the 1920s to the present day, across generations and continents.

2. New Beijing, New Marriage
Popo Fan, China, 2009, 18min, Documentary

Popo’s debut work documents a bold activist action on Valentine’s Day, 2009. Planned by a group of queer activists, four performers posed as two same-sex couples staged wedding photo shoots on a busy street in central Beijing. On this sunny spring day, public interviews were also conducted to gauge the openness of Chinese society toward new types of love.

3. The VaChina Monologues
Popo Fan, China, 2013, 28mins, Documentary

The Chinese Department of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou) staged the Chinese debut of “The Vagina Monologues” in December 2003. Made in 2013 to mark the tenth anniversary of this event, the film features vagina narratives from participants in feminist groups across Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

4. The Drum Tower
Popo Fan, China, 2018, 18 mins, Fiction/Experimental

An introverted senior school student and a transgender vintage shop-owner: two lonely souls swimming in the ever-changing pool of the city. Can they break through wall of communication? Where are they heading to?

Tickets:

https://www.idfa.nl/en/composition/e552b229-9bde-41b3-b534-4478db780dd6/ways-of-seeing-queer-china-with-director-xiaopei-he/

https://www.idfa.nl/en/composition/70706e5f-37c3-4bea-903b-f7fdf92aa44a/ways-of-seeing-queer-china-with-director-popo-fan/

Registration Link for Roundtable:

Ways of Seeing Queer China: A 30-Year Review Through Cinema – Fill in form