C / LENS

UNSEEN HISTORIES, UNSETTLED MEMORIES
Suppressed Films from China’s New Documentary Movement

March 12–14, 2026
Sinema Transtopia, Berlin

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This three-day program revisits a largely censored and long-overlooked chapter of China’s New Documentary Movement. Works made in the late 1980s and early 1990s — many suppressed after 1989 — return to the screen in their first unified presentation.

The series includes two world premieres and three German premieres.

On the final day, March 14, three of the directors will be joined by invited scholars and guests for a public panel discussion. Together, they will reflect on the political and ethical stakes of documentary practice at that historical moment, the conditions of censorship, and the ongoing urgency of reclaiming suppressed cinematic memory.

We warmly invite you to join the screenings and stay for the dialogue.

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Presented by China Unofficial Archives, CiLENS and Berlin Contemporary China Network (BCCN).

ICCW 2025 Opening Party Recap

A beautiful night to begin the 4th Indie Chinese Cinema Week ✨
Thank you to everyone who joined our Opening Party with Jiā La — a night of live music, guqin, performances, and DJ sets that connected traditions, energies, and communities across the Asian diaspora.

The evening opened with ’s contemplative guqin performance — a meditative dialogue between ritual sound and time. followed with a powerful, unique sonic experiment blending voice, acoustic textures, and electronics.

The debut performance “Echoes of Ink” by and wove together healing sound and calligraphic movement, transforming the place into a space of resonance and ritual.

As the night deepened, three DJ sets brought a vibrant diversity of energies to the dance floor — from hypnotic basslines to cosmic frequencies — and we all shared such joy, movement, and togetherness.

Gratitude to all artists, friends, and collaborators who made it possible!

Photo credit: Shin .shinphoto