When young art student Ray moves in with his estranged businessman father after years of separation, the two tentatively begin to reconcile their many differences — including Ray’s revelation that he’s gay, which his father struggles to accept. Ray’s sexual orientation becomes even more of an issue when he falls in love with one of his dad’s male employees.
Directed by Zi’en Cui | Starring : Junrui Wang, Weiming Wang, Bo Yu, Guifeng Wang, Ziqiang Li | Presented at N/A
Chinese filmmaker Cui Zi’en directs this gay-themed sci-fi drama about Xiao Bo, a bisexual man who discovers a stranger by the roadside, naked and claiming to be from Mars. Xiao Bo takes the Martian home to his live-in boyfriend and girlfriend, and together, they begin instructing him in the ways of earthlings. But when the mysterious stranger lapses into a coma, only the discovery of true love can bring him around.
Directed by Zi’en Cui | Starring : Bo Yu, Guifeng Wang, Jian Hou, Xiwen Zhang, Weiming Wang | Presented at Vancouver Film Festival
Set against the backdrop of the contemporary black market for pirated DVDs in Beijing, Pirated Copy is a character-driven drama about the passion two couples have for each other and for film. It “demonstrates that [He is] one of the most interesting and versatile directors among China’s ‘Sixth Generation’”
Directed by Jianjun He | Starring : Bo Yu, Yamei Wang, Xiaoguang Hu, Narenqimuge, Yong Zhang | Presented at Vienna Film Festival, Singapore Film Festival
Xiao Bo lives in a world where the lines defining men from women are constantly dissolving. He kneels at the deathbed of his father who has become a woman, and whose dying wish is to have oral sex with his/her son. His boyfriend “Nana” has also undergone a sex change, but Xiao Bo no longer finds her attractive as a woman. A sexual chain reaction ensues that wreaks havoc on traditional Chinese roles that govern male and female, parent and child. Filmmaker, novelist and queer activist Cui Zi’en caused an international sensation with his shockingly transgressive debut. Inspired by the likes of Andy Warhol and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, but set within a specifically Chinese context, Enter the Clowns is “a movie that says everything you know about sexual identity and gender orientation is wrong” (Tony Rayns, Time Out). “Cui may be unique as China’s first gay filmmaker, but it is… in the international pantheon of queer filmmakers that we must ultimately locate him” (Chris Berry).
Directed by Zi’en Cui | Starring : Bo Yu, Bing Chen, Narenqimuge, Xiaoyu Yu, Ge Jia | Presented at Jeonju Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, Vancouver Film Festival, Ghent Film Festival, Flanders Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival
This three-part film explores homosexuality in communist China. In “Psalter,” the brother of a married man does the unthinkable and invites his lover to live in their household. In “Proverbs,” a married man divorces his wife and makes the full commitment to his openly gay lover. But once living together, things don’t turn out the way the couple expects. And “Song of Solomon” looks into a relationship complicated by AIDS.
Directed by Zi’en Cui | Starring : Bo Yu, Qing Yang, Ran Ma, Zhengyang Zhao, Huanan Du | Presented at Berlin Film Festival
Xiao Bo arrives in Beijing, gets a job at a boutique, and is invited to stay with his lady boss, Ah Qing, and her husband, Kang. Knowing that Xiao Bo is still single, Ah Qing recommends her best female friend, Ah Meng, to him. After a few dates, Ah Meng starts to suspect Xiao Bo is gay. She tells Ah Qing, who then informs Kang. After learning this, Kang attempts to rape Xiao Bo when Ah Qing isn’t at home. Xiao Bo leaves the house, quits the job and joins his old friend, Chong Chong, and realizes that he has a gay lover, Gui Gui. Some time later, Ah Qing confesses to Kang that she had an affair… with Ah Meng. On the other hand, Chong Chong tries to “convert” Xiao Bo, much to the dismay of Gui Gui.
Directed by Bingjian Liu | Starring : Qing Yang, Bo Yu, Kang Zhang, Jiangang Wei, Zi’en Cui | Presented at Locarno Film Festival, Mar del Plata Film Festival, Vancouver Film Festival, Pusan Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Singapore Film Festival
Chinese Cinema 