The sixth issue of Chinese Independent Cinema Observer, ‘Censorship and Chinese Independent Cinema,’ aims to make an effort to provide a systematic analysis of the censorship faced by Chinese independent cinema. As noted by the two editors, Sabrina Qiong Yu and Zhang Zanbo, as scholar and filmmaker, censorship is a key element in defining the unique category of ‘Chinese independent cinema’, an important external factor in its birth and existence, and one of the main reasons for the historical challenges this cinema is facing today.
To examine the ecosystem of Chinese independent films under censorship from different dimensions and multiple perspectives, the editors compile a list of Chinese independent films missing from Douban.com, a dictionary of censorship methods and anti-censorship strategies, in-depth interviews, filmmaker’s own account of experiences of facing censorship, and finally a special section dedicated to the recently deceased Wang Yunlong. This issue was launched at the CIFA launch event on 1 October 2023.
Please note that this issue is currently available in hardcopy only. To access specific articles in the issue, please visit our space in Newcastle University or email us to request a digital copy.