212:. Institutions and organizations within the censorship system have the power to ban queer films from being produced and they can control where and how films are released. To bypass some of the censorship laws, organizers acquired and screened pirated versions of queer films from the black market and various unofficial channels. Domestically produced Chinese queer films like Shitouâs have a better chance of reaching an international audience rather than a Chinese audience due to the strict censorship laws. Both domestically produced and illegally sourced queer films have therefore been distributed in underground channels, such as semi-organized film festivals like the Beijing Queer Film Festival.
113:
location, there were seven âdiversityâ tents that were set up. Lesbian organizers and international LGBT NGOs were able to set up a lesbian tent, which happened to be one of the most popular spots at the NGO Forum. The lesbian tent provided an opportunity for lesbians from China to interact and meet international lesbian organizers for the first time. During the NGO Forum, international lesbian organizers connected to host fundraising workshops, movie screenings, discuss challenges, strategies for activism, and more.
149:
alerted of the film festival, and they intervened to order attendees to evacuate the premises of Peking
University. However this time, key organizers like Shi Tou, Cui Ziâen, and Wan Yanhai had prepared a backup plan. Using resources and financial support from Wan Yanhaiâs organization, they shifted the film festivalâs venue to
179:
technology to film her projects. These tactics were shared amongst filmmakers in the region, where they collaborated to learn how to take advantage of DV technology when there was no blockbuster budget available for independent queer filmmakers. DV technology was also widely available, cheap, and an
116:
As a result of this collective organizing, lesbians were acknowledged in the United
Nations conference. More than 300 people visited the lesbian tent and more than 500 people participated in the lesbian parade, where individuals and groups called for the recognition of lesbian rights. Lesbian voices
54:
talk show program called "Approaching
Homosexuality." According to scholar Hong Wei Bao, this was "the first time that a self-identified... lesbian 'came out' in PRC's official media." Shitou became one of the most prominent figures for lesbian activism in China. Scholar Tingting Wei points out that
183:
With an educational background in the creative arts, and Shitou created many works in the fields of photography and oil painting, but when it came to filmmaking, she was self-taught. She has made three documentary films. Themes that are often found in her films include feminist and queer histories,
112:
As one key part of the conference, there was a Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO) Forum that was scheduled. The NGO Forum was meant to take place in downtown Beijing, but instead its activities and organizers were moved to Huairou, located about 50 kilometres outside of downtown Beijing. At this
220:
Scholar
Hongwei Bao proposes that lesbian filmmakers like Shitou were not creating documentaries and queer films with the intent of seeing commercial success for themselves; rather, they were creating films to represent themselves and to create an archival historical record of lesbian existence.
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The second time around, in April 2005, the number of movies selected for the film festival increased from 5 to 12 domestic and international films. Participants and filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taipei, Jinan, and
Beijing were invited to the film festival. Once again, Chinese authorities were
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In 2011, they were met with the same conditions and evacuation demands from
Chinese authorities. Key organizers continued to prepare backup locations for screenings, but they soon realized that the city of Beijing was not an ideal location to host an organized LGBT film festival. After the film
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Shitou uses documentary filmmaking as a tool for social and political change, particularly in her lesbian activism. Due to limited resources as an independent filmmaker, Shitou began her filmmaking career by using non-traditional methods such as
101:(2015), co-directed by Zhao Jing (è””é). In the documentary, Shitou and Zhao Jing film and interview attendees who recount how the most controversial topic at the conference was lesbian rights, especially in the context of
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Engebretsen, Elisabeth Lund. 2008. Love in a big city: Sexuality, kinship, and citizenship amongst lala ('lesbian') women in beijing. Ph.D. diss., London School of
Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom),
161:. By relocating and rebranding the film festival, organizers were able to avoid government interference. Shitou and many of the original organizers are no longer directly involved with the film festival.
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was and continues to be a major barrier for queer filmmakers in China. In China, the censorship system for films means that new films must pass inspection from the
Beijing Film Bureau and the
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as a tool for activism and political change, and in her film, she draws attention to lesbian rights issues and highlights how lesbian rights cannot be separated from womenâs rights.
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at this conference that took place in
Beijing, China. Lesbian organizers claim that lesbian rights were not intended to be a part of the conference at all. Shitou is known for using
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campus, which is also known as the Beijing University campus. At the same time, alternative versions of queer movies were sourced and screened at a nearby bar. When the
137:, along with the help of many other Chinese LGBT creatives. Five movies were screened at the first Beijing Queer Film Festival that took place in December 2001 on the
196:(2002), Shitou uses her personal experience as a Chinese lesbian and a participatory approach to embody what the real-life experience is like for a lesbian.
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while Shitouâs âcoming outâ was broadcast on television, cultural attitudes and the PRC viewed homosexuality as a crime and a mental disorder at the time.
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Both a feminist and a lesbian activist, Shitou helped to create the first Chinese gay and lesbian film festival in Beijing with collaborators
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and broader social and political issues like the loss of culture and uneven development in different regions in China, as seen in her film
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discovered that the film festival was happening on campus, they immediately intervened and put an end to the movie screenings.
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Tan, Jia (2016). "Aesthetics of queer becoming: Comrade Yue and Chinese community-based documentaries online".
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She later went on to direct several films, many in collaboration with her partner, Ming Ming. Her first was
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Zhou, Yuxing (2 January 2014). "Chinese Queer Images on Screen: A Case Study of Cui Zi'en's Films".
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Queer Chinese films were met with support and allyship from international audiences and creatives.
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festivals in 2013 and 2014, the Beijing Queer Film Festival was redesigned and moved to the
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Wei, Tingting (3 July 2015). "A Look at the Beijing Conference through Lesbian Eyes".
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Shitou documented the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in her film
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26:. She has been active in the Chinese gay scene since the 1990s and was the first
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Shi, Liang (2004). "Beginning a New Discourse: The First Chinese Lesbian Film
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Zi'en, Cui; Liu, Petrus (2010). "The Communist International of Queer Film".
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family and graduated from the Guizhou Art Academy. Shitou was a part of the
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In 2001 Shitou had a starring role as Xiaoling in the Chinese lesbian film
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in 1992 before its dissolution in 1995. In 2000, Shitou was featured on a
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amongst government officials and international representatives.
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accessible method to produce and create films.
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Chinese Lesbian Cinema: Mirror Rubbing, Lala, and Les
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1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
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State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
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69:(2002). In 2006 Shitou released the documentary/
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