School For Passionate Girls
Director
What happens when 300 lesbians from around the world attend the largest United Nations conference? How did two busloads of lesbians headed to an underground nightclub help spark the birth of a lala (LBT) movement in China? At the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the first ever lesbian tent at an UN NGO Forum was created. Emerging from hidden shadows of shame and invisibility, Chinese lalas began a hard-fought path of deliverance from themselves, from family, and from an apprehensive environment. In doing so, they sought empowerment and change as they explored concepts and issues from self-affirmation to rights consciousness. The film powerfully moves forward to the present day and shows the drastic change in today’s young feminist lalas – their challenging of sexism and homophobia with daring public street actions on subways – a parallel action to their forerunners in 1995, with much vigor and defiance 20 years later.
Director
On February 14, 2007, Valentine's Day, eight people who support gay relationships and marriage went to SOHO Modern City and various bus stops to give roses and cards to passersby, wish them a happy Valentine’s Day, and ask their support for gay rights. Upon seeing the words in the cards, everybody reacted differently. When they were asked their opinion of homosexuality, or what they would think if a family member were gay, their answers were all different and interesting, and even blackly humorous.
Ling Xiao
The story follows the elephant keeper in the Beijing Zoo who maintains an aquarium of fish in her home (hence the two-animal title), and her lesbian lover, a fabric saleswoman in an outdoor market. Her relationship is tested, however, when her recently divorced mother returns to town in the hope of setting her daughter up in marriage. Further complicating matters is one of Xiaoqun's ex-lovers also returning to her life with the law in pursuit.
“Girl With Long Hair” shows how universal the look of 1970s softcore pornography was. It is populated by hipsters wearing aviator glasses and cool mustaches running after hot chicks with feathered Farrah Fawcett hairstyles and plastic jewelry. There are shag carpets on the floor and oil paintings on velvet on the walls. The decor uses the brightest colors available, especially international orange, a then ubiquitous shade that is now only seen on emergency equipment such as life jackets. The set designer and costume designer also used a lot of school bus yellow, fire engine red, and other bright, high visibility primary colors.
