This
year, the Center for Media & Social Impact is excited to take part in the Second Biennial DC Chinese Film Festival (DCCFF). Center Associate Director Angelica Das will be serving on the Festival Jury, and on Saturday, September 6, the Center will host a panel discussion and a series of screenings in the American University School of Communication’s Malsi Doyle & Michael Forman Theater.
DCCFF strives to “bring in many unique voices that reflect contemporary China,” said Festival Deputy Director Echo Xie, a 2013 AU graduate and former CMSI grad fellow. “The festival is a rare opportunity to understand China from a fresh perspective, one story at a time.”
The September 6th panel discussion, entitled DCCFF Talks: Closing the Gender Gap, will explore the achievements of and challenges facing Chinese women in filmmaking, as well as the impact of gender inequality both onscreen and behind the camera. Panelists will include S. Louisa Wei, the filmmaker behind DCCFF’s opening film Golden Gate Girls; Melissa Houghton, Executive Director of Women in Film & Video; and Sasha Waters Freyer, Chair of the Department of Photography & Film at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Center will also be hosting screenings of three feature-length documentaries and two documentary shorts. Husband, Wife & the Other Man follows an unconventional family’s struggles to find happiness. Fish Story explores the adult world through children’s eyes. Bazaar Jumper follows two parkour-enthusiast brothers as they prepare for a national competition. Blossom with Tears introduces two young acrobats attempting to make the most of what life has offered them. And Floating examines the difficulties faced by Chinese immigrants in the US.
DCCFF will take place September 4-7 and showcase nearly 70 documentary, narrative, experimental, and animated films from 9 countries and regions, all made by Chinese artists or centered around Chinese issues. Visit the DCCFF website for more information.