MORE THAN A MIDNIGHT RAINBOW

Censorship regarding queer issues in China has become increasingly stricter. Cinema has never been a friendly space for queer subjects, yet now, new regulations are even banning LGBTI+ content online. Since the authorities arrested five feminist activists in 2015, the work of NGOs in China has become increasingly difficult. But do we give up? Of course not. Festivals such as Beijing Queer Film Festival and Shanghai Pride are proving the existence of a strong and enduring community.

Like the rainbow, we are more than colourful. We challenge and blur the borders of gender, nation and form. Through this programme, we aren’t necessarily finding answers but rather searching: aiming to build a platform for communication, reflection and discussion.

In the films, you will meet trans women in rural China, closet Taiwanese lesbians in the US, Canadian Chinese gay men in Germany, and expat lesbians in Beijing. These people are not afraid of the darkness. They are full of courage.

We are more than a rainbow at midnight. We illuminate the day.

我们在这里, WE ARE HERE!

Popo Fan is a Berlin-based Chinese diaspora filmmaker, curator and writer. His films include queer activism documentaries and scripted, sex-positive shorts. For more than a decade, he has organized the Beijing Queer Film Festival and founded the Queer University Video Training Camp in China.