Socially Conscious Cinema: Fifth Annual China Women's Film Festival Comes to Beijing, Sep 16-24

Hollywood hasn't exactly caught up with the art house and the documentary scene, at least when it comes to nuanced depictions of women's lives (not to mention proper opportunities behind the camera, equal pay, and many other matters). Thankfully, there are plenty of talented filmmakers endeavoring to slowly but surely reverse that trend as of late, and you can see some of their best work at the fifth annual China Women's Film Festival.

The eight-day festival (running from September 16-24) will feature innovative, socially conscious works that would otherwise be tough to catch in Beijing. What's more: a talk with Dutch filmmaker Sunny Bergman, who will discuss her award-winning four-part documentary Sunny Side of Sex, as well as her film Over the Hill, which is about the ageism in the beauty industry and will be screened in Beijing for the festival. Her appearance at the fest in Beijing won't be her first stop in China – indeed, for Sunny Side of Sex, she filmed women here in the Middle Kingdom along with those in Cuba, India, and Uganda to document "the positive side of sexuality in their cultures," according to a news release announcing her winning of the Dick Scherpenzeel Prize in the Netherlands. The press award organization went on to add that, "The jury singled out her thorough research for praise."

Other films set to be screened at the festival include Lipstick Under My Burkha (described in a press release as an "insolent comedy" that explores the small but brave rebellious actions taken by repressed women in rural India), Goodbye Mr. B Hello Miss B! (a documentary short from Hong Kong that offers an intimate glimpse into transgender struggles and triumphs), and CodeGirl (which chronicles a progressive competition designed to encourage girls to develop an app, and hopefully one day level the playing field in the male-dominated tech industry) as well as many others.

The China Women's Film Festival will run from September 16-24. Confirmed venues include the Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, Beijing American Center, Camera Stylo, Crossroads Centre, and the Minsheng Art Museum. We'll update this blog later when more information is available. For more information, click here.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos: Courtesy of the China Women's Film Festival