CiLENS | Chinese Indie Cinema in Berlin

CiLENS e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit organisation working at the intersection of film curation and socially engaged cultural practice.

Rooted in Sinophone cinema and Asian diasporic contexts, CiLENS has developed since 2022 into one of the most active platforms for Sinophone and Asian diaspora cinema in Germany, engaging over 5,000 participants through screenings, talks, research, and interdisciplinary collaborations, with support from the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Fonds Soziokultur.

We approach cinema not as a passive viewing experience, but as a medium for participation, inquiry, and public exchange

We’re happy to announce our collaborative screening series!

很开心和大家分享一个新的合作展映项目！征片即日开始

Starting off with our first edition under the theoretical framework of “minor landscapes”（少数景观）to be shown in the format of a trans-local screening in between Frankfurt and Chengdu.

We invite you to participate through submission of moving image and text based works.

→ See slides for details （EN/中文信息请往后滑）
→ Submission form in link in bio 请通过主页链接投递作品

We genuinely look forward to discovering your work and connecting further!

𝘾𝙞𝙇𝙀𝙉𝙎 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 — 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡

CiLENS is entering a new phase.

Over the past four years, we’ve built a platform rooted in film, connecting Sinophone and Asian diasporic cinema with audiences in Berlin.

Now, we are evolving into a more open, collaborative structure working across film, curatorial practice, and socially engaged cultural projects.

We are looking for collaborators to join us and take part in shaping what CiLENS becomes next.

→ 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
→ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 + 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼

*Unfortunately, as a small non-profit organization, we are currently unable to provide any fixed salary. But we always provide compensation aligning with the budget plan when we had fundings.

We will try best to apply for new fundings for upcoming projects. *

We look forward to building CiLENS with you. ✨

#internship #culturalwork #filmcuration

✨ 𝗖𝗶𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 — 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 ✨

As 2025 comes to a close, we look back on a year shaped by continuity, resonance, and collective presence.

Throughout the year, all CiLENS programs were made possible with the generous support of the 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 @senkultgz . Their funding enabled a full year of screenings, festivals, and community-based cultural work — and we are deeply grateful.

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✨ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
We opened the year with a 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 in collaboration with @sinematranstopia , combining film screenings, Mahjong, karaoke, and shared meals across five days.

In April, 𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗺 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗿𝘀 returned to @sinematranstopia with a poetic revisit of classic films, with multiple screenings reaching full capacity.

June marked a high point with 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻-𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 #3 in collaboration with @thefeuerlecollection , bringing together cinema, live performances, curated tea, and a late-night party with @jiala_jiala across two sold-out nights.

In July, the 2nd edition of 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱, co-presented with @sinematranstopia, welcomed over 𝟓𝟎𝟎 participants across screenings, workshops, and conversations.

August unfolded through an intimate 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗽-𝗨𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 with @cspaceberlin and the 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝘅 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗱𝘂 · 𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 with @zku.berlin , welcoming over 300 audience members to a fully booked cinema.

We closed the year with the 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 (𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗪) at @moviemento , welcoming more than 𝟳𝟬𝟬 audience members over four days of sold-out screenings and conversations.

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💫 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝
As our funding landscape evolves, CiLENS continues as an independent, collaborative platform rooted in care, openness, and long-term relationships.

Thank you to everyone who made this year what it was.
See you in 2026 with CiLENS.

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 — 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼

Nearly three weeks have passed since the festival came to a close, yet the moments, conversations, and connections continue to stay with us.

This video is a small trace of the energy we shared: from our opening party to full-house screenings, post-film conversations, and the many encounters in between.

Thank you again to the guest speakers who shared their insights and continued the dialogue with our audience, and to the artists who brought powerful performances to our opening party in collaboration with @jiala_jiala.

And thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, or crossed paths with us during these four days.

𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗶𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗦.✨

Videographer & Editor: Jiani YU @cdbaibai

ICCW2025 has been funded by the Berlin Senate for Culture and Social Cohesion @senkultgz

𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙖 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙥✨

What an emotional and inspiring journey — four days of films and conversations that reimagined the power of cinema as language, action, and future.

With over half of the sold-out screenings, this year’s ICCW brought together over 700 audiences across cultures to narratives of migration, queerness, ethnic minorities, labor, belonging, and more.

This year, ICCW took place at 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼 @moviemento , the oldest independent arthouse cinema in Germany — a poetic encounter between a young, evolving festival and a historic space where time unfolds cinematically.

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🎬 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
– 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙: 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙄𝙄 — moderated by historian Dr. Yang Qiao.
– Berlin Premiere of 𝙓𝙞𝙭𝙞 — with editor Anna Magdalena @anna.magdalenas and protagonist Xixi @ixix_hool in attendance for a heartfelt Q&A, greeted with tears and cheers from the audience.
– 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙄𝙄𝙄: (𝙍𝙚)𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 — joined by filmmaker Pahriya Ghalip (Ada) @pahpahri , who shared openly about her creative journey and cultural identity.

Each conversation naturally continued in the lounge, where filmmakers, curators, and audiences lingered in deep exchange long after the screenings ended.

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🧡💙Sincere thanks to the Berlin Senate for Culture and Social Cohesion @senkultgz for your generous support!

Thanks to all our collaborators, partners, and everyone who joined us — your energy made this edition truly special.

Before we close, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to share your reflections through our 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 — your words mean a lot to our team (especially those who couldn’t be in Berlin this year) and will help CiLENS grow as a community platform while strengthening our future cultural funding possibilities. 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗜𝗢!

ICCW 2025 Opening Party Recap

A beautiful night to begin the 4th Indie Chinese Cinema Week ✨
Thank you to everyone who joined our Opening Party with Jiā La @jiala_jiala — a night of live music, guqin, performances, and DJ sets that connected traditions, energies, and communities across the Asian diaspora.

The evening opened with @guqin_linchi’s contemplative guqin performance — a meditative dialogue between ritual sound and time. @popon_tonichan followed with a powerful, unique sonic experiment blending voice, acoustic textures, and electronics.

The debut performance “Echoes of Ink” by @senaidaxoxo and @jiannyuhw wove together healing sound and calligraphic movement, transforming the place into a space of resonance and ritual.

As the night deepened, three DJ sets brought a vibrant diversity of energies to the dance floor.
@meiyuxinmay B2B @absolut_echo_x
@prieste5s
@senaidaxoxo B2B @naamaaom

Gratitude to all artists, friends, and collaborators who made it possible!

Photo credit: Shin @epic.shinphoto

𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗪 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
𝗔 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮

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𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 shared for the opening
To celebrate the start of the festival, director 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐧 shared a heartfelt 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, wishing everyone a joyful screening and welcoming audiences into the world of Cinema

Set in a frozen northern town, Bel Ami follows Zhang Zhiyong, a middle-aged man who decides to come out after years of silence. He meets Xu Gang, freshly out of a breakup, and their encounter quietly ignites a spark between them. Meanwhile, A Ying and Liu Ying — a young couple — seek a gay man for a marriage of convenience, hoping to bring a shared child into their families. In this town, love becomes a vehicle for recognition, and beneath the passion simmers a biting social farce about identity and belonging.

Directed by Geng Jun, Bel Ami was nominated for 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟔𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 , and hailed as “𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚.”

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🎥 Screening:𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟗, 𝟏𝟕:𝟑𝟎 at 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧
🔗 Ticket link via link in bio
Video edited by Shuowen SHEN @echooo_shen

🎬 𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐖 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤!

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Four days, six features, fifteen shorts — Indie Chinese Cinema Week returns to Berlin ⚡️

📅 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔–𝟗
📍 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧

The 4th Indie Chinese Cinema Week opens this Thursday.

After four years of exploring cinema, community, and connection, this edition also marks a 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for us.

From next year on, ICCW will transform and continue under new forms through CiLENS,
expanding from Chinese cinema toward broader Asian and diasporic experiences.
So while this might be 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of ICCW in its current form —
it’s not an ending, but a rewriting.

If our paths have ever crossed through a screening, a talk, or a shared moment in the dark,
we warmly invite you to 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

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🎟 Tickets LINK IN BIO

Festival Pass now available: access all 9 screenings and receive an exclusive ICCW gift set.（DM us about purchases and details )

Teaser edited by @reveka.ryzhykova with additional editing by @kungwai

Visual design by @documintary

#ICCW2025 #IndieChineseCinemaWeek #ChineseCinema #BerlinEvents #FilmFestival #CilensBerlin #IndependentCinema #BerlinFilmScene

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