German, Queer, and Animated: Beijing's Film Festivals This Month

After months of film industry whining, Beijing's theaters are back on track, which is great news – if you’re just dying to go see a Chinese war flick. Meanwhile, the floundering of Hollywood has meant a continued dearth of movies for those of us who struggle to follow a plot when the dialogue is in Chinese and English subtitles are foregone.

If you find yourself in that boat, however, then November is your month for movies! There are a full three film festivals happening this month, and no matter your niche, you’re bound to find something worth a watch.

Now until Nov 15 – Love Queer Cinema Week

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In 'The Two Lives of Li Ermao, a transgender migrant worker transitions from male to female, then back to male.

Touting the theme of “Intimacy,” this screening of all things queer kicked off with the Chinese film The Two Lives of Li Ermao on Nov 6, but it’s not too late to catch the encore of that screening this Friday as well as one of the seven flicks yet to be presented at the French Institute of Beijing.

Screening Schedule:

• Nov 10, 7pm: Tu Me Manques

• Nov 11, 7pm: Flying Geese 

• Nov 12, 7pm: A Good Man

• Nov 13, 7pm: The Two Lives of Li Ermao

• Nov 14, 3pm: Shorts: AHEAD; Thrive; A Fire in the Sun; The Last Romantic of the World; Chinese Parents Talk About LGBT

• Nov 14, 7pm: Weekend

• Nov 15, 3pm: Shorts: Iraca; The Boat; Hold On; Happiness · Sadness

• Nov 15, 7pm: Closing Film: Suk Suk

Nov 18- 22 – Beijing Animation Week

You never know what you'll see walking down the street in an animated universe

Its aim is to display the beauty of the bizarre the way that only animation can, and this week-long event promises to deliver more oddity than you can handle with dozens of animated films spread across 21 sessions. Most of the short films presented will be geared toward an adult audience, but family-oriented sessions are available on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are booked by the day for prices between RMB 195 and RMB 260, or book individual sessions for RMB 65 each. Real animation nuts might be tempted by the whole shebang, but an all-shows ticket will set you back RMB 845. Click here for a full itinerary of the films, then scan the QR code at the bottom of that article to book your tickets.

Session Schedule

Nov 18:

• 1pm-2.30pm: A Touch of Europe I

• 3pm-4.30-pm: School of Dutch Animation 

• 5pm-7pm:  Lost Paradise – Feinaki Animation Gang Special Program

Nov 19:

• 11am-1pm: Paranormal Special Selection

• 2pm-3pm: Story of Hers (Main Competition Program 1)

• 13.30pm-6.30pm: Nine Short Poems Dedicated to This Era (Main Competition Program 2)

• 7.30pm-930pm: Musical Animation Energy Field (MV Competition Program)

Nov 20:

• 10am-12am: Feinaki Meets Benlai Pictures: Discovering Animated Films from the Independent to the Theatrical

• 1pm-2.30pm: CalArts Experimental Animation Program

• 3pm-4.30pm: A Touch of Europe II

• 5pm-7pm: The Eternal Mundane (Main Competition Program 3)

• 8pm-10pm: Nine Short Poems Dedicated to This Era (Main Competition Program 2)

Nov 21:

• 11am-1pm: The Eternal Mundane (Main Competition Program 3)

• 2pm-4pm: Imagination in My Pocket (Main Competition Program 5 - Family Films)

• 4.30pm-6.30pm: Monsters in the Maze (Main Competition Program 4)

• 7.30pm-9.30pm: Story of Hers (Main Competition Program 1)

Nov 22:

• 10am-12am: Live Online Talk: The Last Glory of Animated Films – The Chronicle of Shanghai International Animation Festival

• 12am-2pm: Monsters in the Maze (Main Competition Program 4)

• 2.30pm-3pm: Eight Films from Legendary Studio of Folimage

• 4.30pm-6.30pm: Imagination in My Pocket (Main Competition Program 5 - Family Films)

• 7.30pm-9.30pm: Feinaki 2020 Beijing Animation Week Closing Award Ceremony (Free to attend, but book ahead!)

Nov 13-27 – Festival of German Cinema

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit follows the story of a young Jewish girl escaping to Zurich

Few Beijing Film Festivals manage to showcase as high-quality productions over such a broad spectrum of genres as the spectacle of German Films that lands in the capital annually. This year is a bit light on the comedy side, but there are a wealth of dramas like the story of betrayal in ancient myths, Undine, as well as thought-provoking and beautifully shot documentaries like Perfect Black.

The dates have not yet been released, but in the upcoming days you can search the cinema section of Taobao or Alipay for the name of the film to book your tickets. From more information about the films, click here. 

Film Program

• Undine – Drama – When an ancient myth catches up to her, a historian must kill the man who betrays her.

• Art Comes from the Beak the Way it Ha Grown – Documentary – An observation of Berlin-based artist at work.

• Lost in Face – Documentary – The journey of a woman who cannot see faces.

• Lara – Drama – The unexpected events of one woman's 60th birthday.

• Perfect Black – Documentary – Shot in black and white, this film asks, 'What does black mean?'

• Sunburned – Drama – A 13-year-old girl on vacation accidentally complicates the life of a young Senegalese boy.

• When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit – Drama – A young girl's pink stuffed rabbit is left behind when she and her family flee from Nazi Germany in 1933.

• The German Lesson – Drama – A young man in juvenile detention struggles to write an essay shortly after the Second World War.

• Kids Run – Drama – Andi looks to an amateur boxing tournament as a means to pay off a debt of EUR 5,000.

• Sleep – Drama – A never-ending nightmare ensues when Young happens upon a well-kept family secret.

• Walchensee Forever – Documentary – Director Janna Ji Wonders embarks on a voyage of discovery spanning four women over a century.

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