The London Chinese Independent Film Festival (LCIFF) is a non-profit initiative dedicated to the greater public awareness of Chinese independent cinema, in association with the London Consortium, Birkbeck College, University of London, and the London Film School. It will take place at The Screen @RADA and Birkbeck Cinema from 15th to 29th of September 2012 with the screening of 9 feature length films and documentaries.

London Chinese Independent Film Festival is designed for cine-enthusiasts, fans of Chinese films, UK media, distributors and anyone else with an interest in film or contemporary China. In its debut year, LCIFF will guide its audience through the extraordinary journey taken by Chinese independent cinema in the past two decades.

Throughout the two-week event, the audience will be treated to an exquisite variety of independent film, at times mouthwatering and captivating and at times inspiring and liberating: Independent films and documentaries that have had a profound and formative influence on Chinese cinema, shaping current perceptions and attitudes.

There are many classics on offer: ‘Bumming in Beijing’, credited with inspiring the launch of the New Documentary Cinema movement in China, ‘Pickpocket’, the astonishing debut film from Jia Zhangke, Liu Jiayin’s ‘Oxhide 2’, follows her successful debut ‘Oxhide 1’, another masterpiece of ‘Individual Cinema’, and not to forget Ai Xiaoming’s famous activist documentary ‘Why the Flower is so Red’ featuring world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

LCIFF are aiming to provide a full menu of both the renowned classics and examples of fresh new works from emerging talent.

At intervals in the festival, the audience will be stimulated by challenging discourses, given by leading academics and film critics, invited to discuss the Chinese Independent Cinema Movement and the hot social issues in China today.

Website:  ciff-london.org