Society has become more relaxed and open-minded in its thinking.”īut he sounded a note of caution that progress is often accompanied by setbacks, saying organizers would not consider the events a success unless they make it to their closing ceremony Sunday unscathed. “There’s more support from the gay community. “The biggest change is that I’m not the only one doing this,” he said. When he tried to organize a gay cultural festival in 2005, five dozen police officers swarmed the venue, closing it.īut this Wednesday, Cui and other organizers managed to pull off the opening to the five-day Beijing Queer Film Festival with no police and no disruptions - drawing only an appreciative and low-key crowd to the Songzhuang Art District on the city’s outskirts.įor China’s gay community, this week’s film festival and an art exhibition on sexual diversity in Beijing, along with last week’s first gay pride festival in Shanghai, are quiet steps forward after years of slow but unmistakable progress.Ĭui, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, said the events mark a significant moment for China’s fledgling gay movement. The first time director and movie buff Cui Zi’en tried to hold a gay and lesbian film festival in 2001, it was shut down by police before it even opened.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |