Two leading Chinese film directors will discuss their work, the work of their contemporaries and the state of independent film making in their home country at The University of Nottingham.
Directors Pema Tsedan and Feng Yan will speak at the ‘In Conversation’ event, giving fans of Chinese film a rare opportunity to question those working at the heart of the industry.
The event is part of the Nottingham Chinese Independent Film Festival, which is co-hosted by The University of Nottingham and the Broadway Cinema. The festival runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 May and includes documentaries, animation and feature-length films in its eclectic programme.
The ‘In Conversation’ event takes place on the University Park campus on Friday 16 May from 3-5pm. It will be chaired by Dr Luke Robinson, Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Sussex, and will include an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.
All screenings take place at the Broadway Cinema in Nottingham city centre. The programme includes Pema Tseden’s 2011 feature Old Dog, and Feng Yang’s documentary, Bing’ai, which was made in 2007. The Bing’ai screening will be chaired by Dr Mark Gallagher, Lecturer in Film and TV Studies at The University of Nottingham. It will include a Q&A with the director.
The Nottingham Chinese Independent Film Festival has been curated by Dr Hongwei Bao, of the University’s Department of Film, Culture and Media, alongside Sabrina Yu and Lydia Wu of Newcastle University.
Dr Bao said: “The NCIFF aims to showcase award-winning independent Chinese films produced in recent years and establish a critical dialogue between film curators, researchers, filmmakers and audience in and outside China. It brings together films of different genres and topics, which unfold pictures of a fast-changing Chinese society.
“We’re honoured to be hosting two such prestigious directors. Their discussion on Chinese independent film making will be fascinating — it’s a rare opportunity to find out more about this growing industry.”
Tickets are £5 for each screening, and a full festival pass giving access to all films is available for £25. The Nottingham Chinese Independent Film Festival programme is available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/cfm/nciff — ticket and screening info is available at www.broadway.org.uk
The NCIFF is part of the UK celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Independent Festival UK, co-hosted by three UK institutions — Newcastle University, The University of Nottingham and the Chinese Visual Festival, London.
This event contributes to the AHRC Chinese Film Festival Studies Network, of which The University of Nottingham is a member. The NCIFF is funded by the Faculty of Arts’ Deans Fund and the Centre for Contemporary East Asian Cultural Studies at The University of Nottingham. Broadway Cinema Nottingham is the industry partner for the event, along with the Creative Student Network.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World’s Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.
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