Beijing Queer Film Festival
beijing queer film festival bjqff chinese 北京酷儿影展 lgbt film festival held annually beijing capital city people republic china first lgbt film festival established mainland china founded chinese author lgbt film director cui zien professor beijing film academy chineselanguage lgbt film festival region also feature international lgbt film chinese subtitle include cinemq hong kong lesbian gay film festival shanghaipride film festival taiwan international queer film festival like beijing queer film festival shanghai queer film festival volunteerrun notforprofit event aim help facilitate promote work filmmaker chinese asian background beijing large lgbt community festival originated peking university considered communitybased nongovernmental film festival china special focus gender sexuality chinese filmmaker yang yang made documentary entitled story beijing queer film festival’s year “guerrilla warfare” 我們的故事：北京酷兒影展十年游擊戰 reporting struggle festival team behind examining role chinese government medium censorship screening lgbt film present challenge filmmaker festival organizer china country censorship law prohibits positive depiction lesbian gay bisexual transgender life film tv show selection mainstream venue permitted big international festival shanghai beijing show gaythemed film whilst dvd film brokeback mountain available black market founder beijing queer film festival cui zien say biggest change im one there support gay community society become relaxed openminded thinking community organizer say gaythemed event would banned year ago permitted beijing queer film festival founded chinese film director cui zi’en personally identifies gay festival early year screening often cancelled short notice security police film moved cinema university bar private home publicity largely wordofmouth organizer notified may arrested festival closed police festival main venue changed cancelled second edition relocated screening beijing university thethen semiunderground art district dashanzi north east beijing city centre described china version new york soho festival ordered shut government official festival proceeded without interruption organizer public advertising event many screening venue announced last minute several publicized screening held french dutch embassy american center reach local authority year film nine country screened including chineselanguage title mainland china hong kong macau taiwan festival also hosted debate topic film censorship china due perceived success festival organizer edition decided hold screening public cinema marketed festival beijing lgbt community social medium however period chinese government country new leadership xi jinping li keqiang arrested critic closed ngo regarded potentially critical government late august beijing independent film festival forced close wouldbe audience member dispersed police whilst venue electricity supply switched organizer detained time police seized document film archive office result development festival organizer decided change approach abandoned idea using public cinema decided cut back social medium activity shortly festival began two security officer visited festival codirector jenny man wu nonlgbt woman longterm interest lgbt cinema told tapped phone read email went ahead festival planned trouble” day opening festival email sent potential attendee new plan told go central beijing railway station next morning purchase ticket train town near great wall proceed car carriage number note ending “make sure bring laptops” following morning train carriage filled mixture chinese lgbt film buff filmmaker academic artist activist organizer handed flash drive laptop containing opening film story retrospective festival history rest festival went without major incident film china others hong kong taiwan south korea europe feature documentary variety short including several student film panel topic ranging “light documentary heavy activism” “women top” many screening panel discussion took place dutch embassy beyond control beijing local authority list lgbt film festival