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The Chinese Visual Festival returns for its 9th edition in May 2019 with a weeklong celebration of Chinese language cinema including a special focus on the legendary Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan who will be in attendance for a series of conversations and Q&As.
Thursday 02 May:
6.10pm: First Night Nerves + Stanley Kwan Q&A
Stanley Kwan returns to the stage with a backstage melodrama of backstabbing actresses as a veteran star makes her comeback alongside the talented youngster who threatens to eclipse her…
The legendary director will be present in person for a Q&A following the UK premiere of the film.
Friday 03 May:
4pm: Crack of Dawn: Roundtable Discussion with Director Ying Liang
7pm: When Night Falls + Ying Liang Q&A
The mother of a man sentenced to death for killing six policemen continues to fight for justice in Ying Liang’s probing drama.
7pm: A Sunny Day + Ying Liang Q&A
A young woman visits her father for lunch in Ying Liang’s Occupy-themed short.
Saturday 04 May:
2pm: A Family Tour + Ying Liang Q&A
An exiled film director takes a “holiday” to Taiwan in order to tag along after her mother’s old persons’ tour bus knowing they will likely never meet again in Ying Liang’s poignant semi-autobiographical drama. Review.
6.15pm: Rouge + Stanley Kwan Q&A
Stanley Kwan’s sumptuous supernatural romance stars Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung as a pair of lovers who determine on double suicide, only she is the only one who dies. 50 years later, her spirit returns to a much changed ’80s Hong Kong in search of answers.
Sunday 05 May:
1pm: Stammering Ballad
A Chinese folksinger leaves his hometown to wander and eventually ends up on China’s Got Talent only to return home and find his beloved landscape much changed in this visually stunning documentary.
3.30pm: Women + Stanley Kwan Q&A
A woman leaves her husband after discovering he has been unfaithful and joins the “Spinsters’ Club” but is conflicted when he wants to patch things up. Stanley Kwan will also be present for a Q&A following a screening of his 1985 debut feature.
5.30pm: Stanley Kwan in Conversation
King’s College London, Lucas Theatre
7.15pm: The Land of Peach Blossoms
Monday 06 May
1pm: The Drum Tower + Fan Popo Q&A
An introverted high schooler and transgender vintage shop owner are the protagonists of the latest short from Fan Popo.
1pm: Meili
A young girl abandoned by her parents and abused by her brother-in-law hopes to escape with her girlfriend in a powerful debut from director Zhou Zhou.
4pm: Thin Dream Bay + Imagining Evan Yang
7.15pm: The Rib
Factory Boss‘ Zhang Wei follows a religious father’s struggle to accept his transgender daughter.
Tuesday 07 May
Director Lu Qingyi’s beautiful documentary follows his own family through four celebrations of New Year bringing with them both joy and sorrow. Review.
Wednesday 08 May
8.45pm: In Character
A director making a semi-autobiographical film takes 13 actors back to the Cultural Revolution by bringing them to a disused firearms factory in Sichuan where they must wear the clothes and listen to the music of the era.
Thursday 09 May
3pm: Tracey Cast and Crew in Conversation
The cast and crew of Tracey are in conversation with EasternKicks’ Andrew Heskins and Dr. Victor Fan from King’s College London.
6pm: Tracey + Cast & Crew Q&A
A 51-year-old married father of two grownup children begins to come to an acceptance of a transgender identity after hearing the news of the death of a close friend in the beautifully observed debut from Li Jun.
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