What is filmmaking like for the youngest generation of filmmakers in today’s China? What kinds of topics are they interested in pursuing, and how does cinema engage with these young filmmakers’ concerns as they navigate challenges and opportunities presented to them in today’s transnational film cultures, industries and markets? How is cinema taught in China’s expanding higher education for film and media practice, and how do the youngest generation of filmmakers learn from Chinese and global film histories, and previous generations of practitioners?
This event is composed of screenings of two student films, and a roundtable discussion with Wu Tiange, filmmaker and graduate supervisor at Shanghai Theater Academy, and eight young filmmakers working mainly in China today.
Moderated by Ying Qian, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures, East Asian Languages & Cultures, and Ron Gregg, Senior Lecturer, Film and Media Studies, Center for the Study of Social Difference
Speakers:
- WU Tiange 吴天戈: Director at Shanghai Film Group. Graduate supervisor at the Film School of Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Shanghai Film Academy. Council Member of the China Film Association and the Shanghai Film Association. Since 1993, he has directed numerous films and television series, earning multiple international and domestic awards. Wu Tiange is also the executive producer of the short film GeYiZaGei and A Pole.
- Yan Yuxin 晏⽻欣 (director of GeYiZaGei). Yan graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy with a Master's degree in Film and Television Filming and Recording, wrote and directed the award-winning short films Remember Fondly, The Last Duangong, GeYiZaGei and others. She is currently a PhD candidate in Belgium.
- Chen Kai 陈凯 (executive producer, GeYiZaGei). Chen graduated from Tongji University School of Communication, and served as Executive producer/assistant director for the award-winning film Volcano Hell and Qian Xuesen.
- Keyan (Koko) Miao 缪可⾔ (director of Desire of Her) Born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and attended the Communication University of Zhejiang for her undergraduate studies, pursued postgraduate studies at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and received her Master’s degree from the New York Film Academy. She is passionate about film and art, with a unique love for subcultures. Consequently, her films often focus on marginalized people with distinctive perspectives.
- Li Zhiying 李祉萤 (screenwriter and director for A Pole). Li received her MA degree from Department of Literature, Beijing Film Academy, and doctoral degree from Theater, Film and Television, China Academy of Art. Her film Above the Clouds, short film The Shoulders of Father's Generation, and screenplay A Paper Wedding won numerous international awards.
- Chen Yi 陈伊 (Cinematographer and editor for A Pole) Chen received an MFA in Film and Television Cinematography from the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Chen is an award-winning cinematographer for films Hippocampus Baby, When we grow up, and Heading to the South. Chen served as the cinematographer and editor for the four-episode documentary Just Because She Likes It.
- Ying Entai应恩泰 (Director of Photography for A Pole) Ying received a Bachelor's Degree from University of Sydney, Australia, and a Master's Degree in Photography from the Film School of Shanghai Theater Academy. Ying’s cinematography for Manifesto won a number of international and domestic awards. Ying was the cinematographer for the documentary China and for the sci-fi short film The Uploader, and the award-winning cell phone short film When we grow up. Ying was also the cinematographer for Starry Sky on the Top of the Head, and the award-winning short film Heading to the south.
- Kenneth Deng 邓宗杰(director of Little God) was born in 1993 in Guangdong, China. Before becoming the 15th student of Shanghai Vancouver Film School, he travelled to many cities as an advertising director. When he could no longer bear with the meaninglessness of the advertising world, he turned to the world of film to find a means of reviving his soul.
- Ningyue (Charlie) Hao 郝宁玥(screen writer and director, The End of Summer) grew up in Shenzhen, China, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the Arts London. From a young age, she loved going to the cinema, but it took a lot of effort as she grew older to pursue a career in filmmaking. She earned her Master's degree in Film Directing from Shanghai Theatre Academy and later studied film production at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, where she completed her thesis project, The End of Summer (2024). Her films often focus on the emotions and life states of women who are drifting and wandering. As an independent film director, she is currently dedicated to making films in both Los Angeles and Shanghai, exploring new female narrative forms in cinema and expressing stories from a female perspective through her work.
This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the C.V. Starr East Asian Library. After the screening and discussion, guests are welcome to join us for a reception in the International Affairs Building, Room 918.
Registration:
- To attend this event in-person, please register HERE.
