Chinese Independent Film Archive (CIFA) has been officially launched at Newcastle University. CIFA is home to nearly 800 independent films (mostly documentaries), their associated material culture, oral-history interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, among other collections. It is the only archive of its kind in the world, established with the help of a research grant from UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. CIFA aims not only to safeguard a significant but marginalised film culture for future generations, but also act as an alternative record of social changes, historical traumas, and the lives of ordinary people in modern and contemporary China.
Located on the second floor in the Old Library Building (2.23), CIFA is open to students, researchers and the general public, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 9:30am to 5:30pm. It provides access to a rare and large collection of films and video interviews, which will enhance understanding of Chinese cinema, history, and society.
To make a reservation to visit CIFA, please click on the link. Please note that you have the option to book multiple time slots if you plan to visit CIFA for more than 3 hours.