Chris Berry on the Chinese Visual Festival

Over the past month, King’s has been hosting the Chinese Visual Festival; a celebration of the country’s independent film and contemporary art. Attracting fêted directors such as Jia Zhangke and Pema Tseden and experimental artist Wang Xin, the Festival was an eclectic success.

We spoke to Chris Berry - Professor of Film Studies and Film Consultant for the Festival - about what made this year’s edition the best yet.

What does it mean for King’s (and the Department of Film Studies in particular) to have established a partnership with the Festival?

China is on everyone's mind these days. Not everyone can go to China, but hosting the Chinese Visual Festival at King's brings a bit of China to our students and staff. The Festival's decision to work with us highlights the college's commitment to Film Studies and Chinese Studies, as well as related areas like Creative Industries and Comparative Literature. Our Film Studies department is one of the few in the Western world with three faculty specialists in East Asian cinema. 

The college established a chair in Chinese back in the 1840s, and today the Lau China Institute is the focus of work on China across the college. The insights into both Chinese life and Chinese cinema provided by these independent films and the festival guests stimulate research and learning across the college.

The selection of films screened at this year’s Festival cover a range of themes - on which criteria were they selected?

Selections are made by a small group from King's and CVF working together with CVF film curator Jingjing Xie. The contemporary art show is organized by CVF art curator Sylvia Zhan. CVF sends out a call for independent film submissions each year, and gets 200 plus entries from across the Chinese speaking world. They range from features to documentaries, experimental films, animation, and more. As well as a programme that represents that range, the CVF selectors are looking for material that is both at the aesthetic cutting edge and gives insight into contemporary Chinese life. The same is true of the art show. 

From the beginning, CVF has been about showing us the China we don't usually see in Britain. For me, this has always been one of the major attractions of working with them. Lots of people know that over 50 of the top 100 contemporary artists at auction these days are Chinese. But perhaps they don't know that Chinese contemporary artists are also leading the ephemeral art movement that resists commoditisation by making the art an event rather than an artefact. That was what this year's 'The Gallery' show was all about, and I really loved how adventurous it was.

Having leading directors like Jia Zhangke participate is a coup for the Festival - what was it like to have him contribute to Q&A sessions?

Yes, having the granddaddy of Chinese indie films, Jia Zhangke, at King's, was an incredible coup - although I'm not sure he'd like me to call him that! After all, he's only in his 40s. Unsurprisingly, we filled the Lucas lecture theatre. What impressed me the most was how professional and committed he is. It wasn't easy to set the event up, but once we got him there, he gave us almost an hour of his time for Q&A. He also understood that no matter how simple the question, it was an opportunity for him to express his ideas, his insights into filmmaking and more. So many people in the audience were overwhelmed to be in the same room, and they told us that they felt they learnt so much from him.

The event was supported by the Department of Film Studies; The Department of Culture, Media, and Creative Industries; the China Institute; and the Arts and Humanities Research Committee. For more information about the Chinese Visual Festival, visit their website.