The Festival
The IndieChina Film Festival is a unique platform dedicated to showcasing the diverse, bold, and thought-provoking world of Chinese independent cinema. As China’s mainstream film industry continues to grow in scale and influence, a parallel world of fiercely creative, often underrepresented voices has emerged — and it is these voices that the IndieChina Film Festival seeks to highlight.
Founded with a mission to bridge cultures and foster dialogue through the art of film, the IndieChina Film Festival brings together filmmakers, cinephiles, scholars, and activists who share a passion for independent storytelling. This festival is not just a screening event; it is a space for ideas, resistance, memory, and identity. It honors the courage of Chinese independent filmmakers who work outside the studio system — often on shoestring budgets and under difficult conditions — to tell personal, political, and experimental stories that reflect the complexity of contemporary Chinese life.
From underground documentaries that explore social justice and marginalized communities, to avant-garde narratives and hybrid forms that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the IndieChina lineup pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. Each selected film reflects the filmmaker’s commitment to authenticity, innovation, and often, social critique — offering global audiences a rare window into the hidden corners of Chinese society.
Hosted in an inclusive, bilingual environment, the festival includes film screenings, panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and community workshops. It aims to foster exchange between Chinese filmmakers and international viewers, and to offer critical context that helps audiences engage with the political, historical, and aesthetic dimensions of the works presented.
In a world where independent expression is increasingly under pressure, the IndieChina Film Festival stands as an act of cultural preservation and international solidarity. It is a place for connection — between generations of filmmakers, between diasporic communities, and between cultures separated by language but united by the power of visual storytelling.
Whether you are a lover of cinema, a student of Chinese culture, or a champion of free expression, the IndieChina Film Festival invites you to witness a side of Chinese filmmaking that is raw, uncompromising, and deeply human.
The Founder/Director
Zhu Rikun is a leading curator, producer, and filmmaker with a long-standing commitment to Chinese independent cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and influential figures in the field, having played a central role in developing China’s independent film scene over the past two decades.
In 2001, Zhu founded the Fanhall Studio, a pioneering organization dedicated to independent film, and launched the website fanhall.com, which became a critical platform for commentary and news about non-mainstream Chinese cinema. Beginning in 2002, he curated a range of independent film screenings and discussions in Beijing, including the “Beijing Youth Director Exchange Week.” In 2003, he launched the China Documentary Film Festival (also known as the China Documentary Exchange Week), which became one of China’s earliest and most enduring annual independent film events. In 2006, he founded the Beijing Independent Film Festival. Zhu served as the longtime director of both festivals, where he curated and hosted countless screenings and discussions featuring independent films from across China and around the world.
As a producer, Zhu has supported the work of many independent filmmakers in China, helping bring their films to completion and introducing them to global audiences. He has also worked tirelessly to distribute independent films within China—through DVD releases beginning in 2002, and later through online platforms—while also editing and publishing numerous books and journals on independent film culture.
In 2006, Zhu founded China’s earliest independent film archive. In 2007, he established a screening venue dedicated to independent cinema in the outskirts of Beijing, and in 2009, he founded an independent film school to train the next generation of filmmakers.
Zhu Rikun has served as a jury member for several international film festivals, including the Locarno Film Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
As a filmmaker, Zhu has directed several acclaimed works including The Questioning, The Dossier, Welcome, Anni, and No Desire to Hide. His films have been screened and awarded at major festivals such as Cinéma du Réel in France, Locarno, Festival dei Popoli in Italy, the Hong Kong Independent Film and Video Awards, Vancouver International Film Festival, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.