LGBT+ Film Club Screens Chinese Drama On Faith and Gender
The Film museum's LGBT+ Film Club's October film "The Rib '' will be screened on October 25th at 18:30.
Huanyu is a transgender woman in her 30s who requires her father's
permission to undergo gender reassignment surgery. However, as a devout
Catholic, her father sees it as a disease and a sin.
Based on a real story of a transgender woman growing up in a Christian community of Zheijang, "The Rib" (2018) tells a journey of acceptance for both Huanyu and her father, who feels torn between the love for his child and the responsibilities of his faith.
Director Zhang Wei's feature drama is based on the true story of a young trans woman who grew up in a Christian community in Zheijang. It is the first Chinese feature film to pass government censorship, with the director having to cut nearly 40 minutes of footage before getting permission.
Zhang Wei, who started their film career after becoming a successful entrepreneur, is known for his portrayal of stories from marginalised communities. Zhang Wei has previously stated that the purpose of his work as a filmmaker is to highlight problems facing contemporary Chinese society.
The film is preceded by a pre-recorded mini-lecture by Hongwei Bao, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Nottingham. The lecture focuses on the history of transgender visual culture and cinema in China, transgender rights in China and the background of the film “The Rib”. He has participated in the Beijing Queer Film Festival as a panellist and also organised the Transnational Radical Film Conference.
The Chinese language film will be screened with Estonian, Russian and English subtitles.
🎞️ Tickets, priced at 8/6 euros, are available HERE!
🌈The LGBT+ Film Club program was born in collaboration with Q-Space, an LGBT+ cultural movement selected as the rainbow hero of the year 2023.