Film list

[the-18-year-old-assembly-line--Film-image]
The 18-Year-Old Assembly Line 2016 30'
  Directed by Luojunnan Yin .
We happened to make friends with this group of factory workers in the "post-90s" generation while we were working on another projects. We were quite fascinated by many things that we
[daba-portrait-of-a-na-shaman--Film-image]
Daba - Portrait of a Na Shaman 1999 40'
    Directed by Hua Cai .
After more than a quarter of a century without any form of religious ceremony, the Na, an ethnic group living on the Himalayan plateau, began openly practising their religion again in the early
South-East Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Religion / Belief / Faith Shamans and Shamanism
[eid-ai-fitr--Film-image]
Eid AI-Fitr 2015 70'
  Directed by Xiangchen Liu .
Kirghiz people in western China celebrate the end of Ramadan with religious ceremonies, meals and other activities.
[elder-sister--Film-image]
Elder sister 2017 96'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Zheng Long .
From the 1970s, the "family planning" policies of the Chinese state limited its citizens to having one child. These policies are well-known. Lesser known are the smaller stories of how
[fathers-prescription--Film-image]
Father's Prescription 2017 11'
    Shorts Directed by Enke Huang .
A personal exploration of traditional Chinese medicine that considers the importance of its sensory qualities. Huang vividly recalls the extreme bitter taste and smell of the teas consumed by her
[floating-raft--Film-image]
Floating Raft 2018 29'
    Directed by Zhang Chong .
Floating Raft takes an observational look at the life of a vibrant Chinese Buddhist monk Shi Yanyi and his Buddhist brothers, in Los Angeles. The Shaolin Temple is famous for its 1500-year Buddhist
[the-future-of-workij--Film-image]
The Future of Work? 2022 21'
    Student Directed by Yihao Yan .
Digital nomads are a highly mobile group of people who travel while working. Digital nomadism is considered a utopian life and a liberation from sedentary society, but it can also become a privilege.
[got-high-with-only-one-day-singing--Film-image]
Got High With Only One Day Singing 2015 33'
  Directed by Meng Ziwei .
Huaer sing the oldest and most renowned folk songs in Gansu Province, China.
[the-heavenly-court-in-song-family-village--Film-image]
The Heavenly Court in Song Family Village 2009 30'
    Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .
Religious life in the village is highly gendered, with female shamans dominating most religious activities. These shamanesses and their gods are organised as a “court”, which expresses a
Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Shamans and Shamanism Ritual
[the-jiama-paper-of-bai-with-my-heart--Film-image]
The Jiama Paper of Bai With My Heart 2016 21'
  Directed by He Zi Jian Li .
Traditional Jiama imprinted paper production in the Bai cultural region, southwest China, presented through the experiences of one particular family.
[marriage-maoism-and-modernity--Film-image]
Marriage, Maoism and Modernity 2009 30'
  Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .
This film outlines the types of marriage exchange practiced in a Chinese village over the last fifty years. Dowry, brideprice and exchange marriages have dominated the marriage market in turn as
Central Asia and Far East Marriage History Social Change
[a-new-era--Film-image]
A New Era 2019 71'
    Werbner Award Directed by Boris Svartzman .
In 2008, local authorities evicted 2,000 villagers from Guanzhou, a river island in Southern China, to make way for new urban planning projects. In spite of the demolition of their houses and police
Central Asia and Far East Urban Development projects Infrastructure\transport Land rights Resettlement
[the-ospreys-and-the-old-man--Film-image]
The Ospreys and the Old Man 2020 9'
  Directed by Ang Gao .
A 76-year-old man living in a village in the middle of China continues the traditional practice of using ospreys (鱼鹰. 鱼鹰 usually referred to as great cormorant in English) to fish while most
Central Asia and Far East Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Animals Elderly People
[prohibition-of-grazing--Film-image]
Prohibition of Grazing 2016 43'
  Directed by Wenfei Li .
Zhang Yuansheng is 64-year-old who was originally a camel herder. Having been born in poverty, as the age of 17 he began studying camel herding in the desert and acquiring the the life skills
[the-secret-of-the-stone--Film-image]
The Secret of the Stone 2009 39'
  Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .
Located on the North China Plain about 200 miles south of Beijing, 'Song Family Village' is home to about 1,300 people. Some 80% of all villagers are members of a single lineage of the Song surname.
Central Asia and Far East Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Ritual Festivals / Carnival
[song-family-village-takes-a-bride--Film-image]
Song Family Village Takes a Bride 2009 27'
  Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .
Most weddings in the village still reflect traditional patterns of patrilineal descent and patrilocal residence. The bride leaves her natal home to marry into her husband’s village, where she is a
Central Asia and Far East Marriage Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Social Change
[still-birth-of-the-commune-head--Film-image]
Still Birth of the Commune-head 2015 80'
  Directed by Qiao Wu .
Each Floral-belt Dai village has a “Commune-head” who takes charge of annual collective ceremonies. The Commune-head is picked out through a God election ritual. All candidates’ clothes should
[twenty-two--Film-image]
Twenty Two 2016 95'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Guo Ke .
The film focuses on Chinese ‘comfort women’ during World War II. At the time of filming, only 22 of the 200,000 Chinese victims forced into sexual slavery remained alive. Quietly humanistic, this
[the-two-lives-of-li-ermao--Film-image]
The Two Lives of Li Ermao 2019 87'
    Main Competition Directed by Jia Yuchuan .
Filmed over 17 years across Southern China, this remarkable film is an intimate and heart-wrenching portrait of Li Ermao, a transgender migrant worker, who performs in clubs looking for love and
[without-fathers-or-husbands--Film-image]
Without Fathers or Husbands 1995 26'
  Directed by Hua Cai .
The Na are an ethnic group in south-east China. Their particularity is that all the members of each household are consanguineous relatives; their social organisation is absolutely matrilineal and as
South-East Asia Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality
[a-very-dai-girl--Film-image]
A very Dai Girl 2018 27'
    Student Directed by MengHua Zhang .
This film quietly observes her daily life of Xiao Yue, a bright 22-year-old young woman from Yunnan province in the South of China. We see Xiao Yue cook, care for her grandmother, sew, and farm - but