Chinese filmmaker Ji Qiuyu approaches the world with gentleness. Her documentary The Homeless captures the lives of those existing on the margins of society, people who have drifted between belonging and isolation, freedom and invisibility. Rather than portraying homelessness as a tragedy, Ji observes it as a complex human condition. Shot with a compassionate eye,…
Category: Chinese Cinema
ALULA Film Festival: “Obedience” Review
Based in the heart of Hong Kong, the district of Hung Hom feels like a city within a city, a place where the living and the dead coexist almost side by side. Coffins glide through narrow streets toward nearby funeral homes, while a few steps away, commuters and street vendours fight for space among the…
2025 ALULA Film Festival: “The Homeless” Review
Homelessness is one of the most visible manifestations of social inequality. Globally, individuals experiencing homelessness often face multiple layers of marginalization – not only lacking stable housing but also encountering barriers to healthcare, employment as well as social services. The causes of homelessness are complex and intertwined, ranging from poverty, unemployment, and housing shortages to…
ALULA Film Festival: In Conversation with Bian Zhuo, Director of “As the Water Flows”
Bian Zhuo’s As the Water Flows is a gentle and beautiful film about aging and reconciliation, shaped by the director’s own family story. The film was inspired by the diary of Bian’s late grandfather, a man who suffered greatly during China’s Anti-Rightist Movement. What started as an attempt to recreate that hardship slowly turned into…
2025 ALULA Film Festival: “As the Water Flows” Review
One wonders what the title As the Water Flows truly means – at least until the film’s final moments, when its philosophy finally surfaces. Water moves forward, never looking back, yet somehow it reflects everything it passes. Life, Bian Zhuo seems to say, is much the same: a continuous current defined by the memories we…
69th BFI London Film Festival: In Conversation with Calif Chong, Isabella Wei and Matthew P. Scott of “High Wire”
Hong Kong director Calif Chong’s debut feature, High Wire, makes a striking entrance, a film that is at once humorous, compelling, and real. Best known for her acclaimed 2019 short Underneath, Chong ventures into feature territory with a story that examines the delicate balance of duty and desire, the weight of parental expectation, and the…
69th BFI London Film Festival: “Island of the Winds” Review
Hsu Ya-Ting’s Island of the Winds is a heart-rending documentary that immerses the viewer in the often-overlooked lives of the elderly residents of Lesheng Sanatorium, a former leper colony on the outskirts of Taipei. From the very first moments, the film builds an intimate closeness to its subjects, allowing their memories and struggles to surface…
Alula Film Festival 2025 Announces Full Lineup, Returning to Los Angeles to Celebrate Independent Chinese-Language Cinema
The Alula Film Festival has unveiled the complete lineup for its 2025 edition, set to take place from October 16 to 19 at The Culver City Theaters in Los Angeles. Dedicated to independent, arthouse, and auteur-driven works, Alula continues to serve as a vital platform for bold and original Chinese-language cinema. Formerly known as the…
Jia Zhangke and the Pingyao International Film Festival
Jia Zhangke is a name inseparable from contemporary cinema, especially this year. Over the past few months, he has appeared at major festivals worldwide, championing cross-cultural exchange: first the Taipei Film Festival in June, then Venice in August, Busan in mid-September, and finally his own Pingyao International Film Festival (PYIFF) at the end of the…
82nd Venice Film Festival: “Girl” Review
Girl was the directorial debut of SHU Qi. It was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Girl marked SHU Qi’s first step into directing. It captured immense attention at the event. SHU Qi is a regular presence at Cannes, Berlinale, and the Venice Film Festival. Her first arrival…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 