ICCW 2023’s curatorial process revolves around the idea of “Bridging the Everyday and the Faraway”, with the ultimate objective of crafting a dynamic space where the horizons intersect, all through the lens of Sinophone films. Through the medium of cinema, we aspire to explore communities and subjects beyond our daily routines, fostering a deeper reflection upon our perceptions of the world.

 

The distinctions between “Everyday” and “Faraway” transcend mere temporal and spatial considerations, encompassing the realm of emotional experiences that gauge the relational distances between ourselves and “Others”. At the cinema, we are momentarily disembedded from our everyday experiences; we voluntarily walk into new stories and encounter a diverse multitude of heterogeneous “Others”. As the silver screen reveals both nearby and distant landscapes, alongside communities both familiar and unknown, we immerse ourselves in the rich tapestry of the Sinophone world. In this immersive experience, our individual realities converge, collide, and interweave with the stories in motion, giving rise to fresh perspectives. We encourage our audience to actively imagine and bridge the gap between themselves and the subjects on the screen, redefining their closeness to the “Others”.

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In the feature-film section of ICCW 2023, we will take the audience on a transcendent cinematic journey, spanning various geographical spaces, with 5 documentaries and 2 dramas. We set out from a blind massage parlor in downtown Nanjing, passing through a clothing factory on the outskirts of Zhejiang, venture into Havana’s Chinatown, visit an orphan school in the Ando Tibetan region, drop by Piraeus Harbor along the Aegean Sea, join a family conversation at a dining table in a typical Beijing apartment, and finally arrive at a seemingly tranquil yet story-rich town in Southern China.

The films we selected provide a wide spectrum of narratives and experiences. “Blind Massage” captures the life experiences of visually impaired individuals, through a documentary-style visual narrative, immersing the audience in their everyday lives and desires. “Youth” condenses a six-year filmmaking process into a riveting three-and-a-half-hour film, revealing the lives and emotional fluctuations of young migrant workers on the assembly line. “Havana Divas”, set against the backdrop of a fading Chinatown, serves as a witness to the unique preservation of Cantonese opera culture in Havana, offering a deep dive into the rise and fall of the Chinese community. “Daughter of the Light” shifts the lens to a teenager in a divorced family, painting a poignant glimpse into the inner world of an ordinary Tibetan girl, while also reflecting the evolving grassland life. “A Marble Travelogue” illustrates the marble trade route between China and Europe, portraying the fluid dynamics among individuals and nations in our globalized era. “Bad Women of China” documents the desires, struggles, and traumas of three generations of women, using private footage from their family conversations to uncover the intricate historical backdrop that underscores the rebellious spirit of Chinese women. Lastly, “Ripples of Life” adopts a humorous tone as it deconstructs significant social themes through a narrative composed of ordinary, everyday elements.

These films not only showcase the diverse Sinophone world but also bring distant landscapes closer, allowing us to catch glimpses of the lives of other communities. They provide an intimate and liberating possibility for us to approach “Others”, understand distant places, and connect with each other.

 

We regard the “Sinophone” as our unique lens, with “Cinema” serving as the bridge, as we delve into the diverse communities and events within the Chinese-speaking world alongside our audiences in Berlin. In this journey, we seek to bridge the gaps between us and uncover even more common ground. Through the act of “seeing” films in the cinema, a nearby space intimately woven into the fabric of our urban lives, we aim to collectively create new possibilities. As we step into the “Everyday” of the “Others”, we are also reshaping the “Everyday”
of ourselves.