The Chinese Independent Film Foundation (CIFF) is a
not-for-profit screen culture organisation dedicated
to showcasing new and old art-house Chinese-language
cinema across Australia. Founded in Narrm/Melbourne,
CIFF works with collaborators across mainland China,
Hong Kong and Taiwan to present films that
rarely receive theatrical release locally.


SPECIAL SCREENING – ACMI 

NEW CHINESE AUSTRALIAN CINEMA (SHORTS)
A new wave of Chinese-Australian filmmakers are emerging as a bold generation of storytellers, eager to assert their place within both national and global cinema.

Presented by the Chinese Independent Film Foundation, this program gathers seven award-winning shorts, spanning 2012 to 2024, previously screened at Festival de Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival, MIFF, BFI London and more. Featuring Australian diaspora filmmakers, alongside directors from Singapore and mainland China who have lived and worked in Australia, the selection traces the stories shaping contemporary Chinese-Australian screen culture.

The screening will be followed with a panel discussion with the filmmakers, moderated by curator and artist Nikki Lam.

FARAWAYS (2012),  dir. Audrey Lam
WITHERED BLOSSOMS (2024), dir.  Lionel Seah
A GENTLE NIGHT  (2017), dir.  Qiu Yang
DANCING GIRL & BALLOON MAN (2023), dir. David Ma
BONG XI FA CAI (2024), dir. Johnathan Lo
TUI NA (2022), dir. William Duan
IDOL (2020), dir. Alex Wu

Where: ACMI, Fed Square
When: Thursday, March 26,  7.30pm

Tickets.

LOVE AND DUTY
戀愛與義務 (1931)  Directed by Bu Wancang卜萬蒼 (China) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaLOVE AND DUTY stars the legendary Ruan Lingyu 阮玲玉 in dual roles as mother and daughter – a virtuoso performance that cemented her status as one of China’s greatest actresses. Its chiaroscuro lighting, expressive close-ups, and emotional precision showcase Bu Wancang卜萬蒼’s mastery of silent cinema – marking a triumph of world film preservation.
Sunday, March 8, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

YEN AND AI-LEE
小雁與吳愛麗 (2024)  Directed by Tom Lin Shu-Yu 林書宇 (Taiwan) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film A tender, monochrome portrait of grief, care and fragile connection in contemporary Taiwan.
Anchored by quietly devastating performances from Hsieh Ying-hsuan 謝盈萱 and Yang Kuei-mei 楊貴媚, the film finds poetry in everyday rituals and fleeting moments of solace. A delicate meditation on love and loss, Yen and Ai-Lee reveals the resilience that emerges in the wake of tragedy.

THE LAST EMPEROR
末代皇帝 (1987)  Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaTracing the life of Aisin-Gioro Puyi 愛新覺羅·溥儀, China’s final Qing dynasty monarch, this sweeping epic unfolds through memories of imperial splendour and the stark realities of Communist re-education. Moving between the gilded confines of the Forbidden City and a rapidly transforming nation, the film spans more than half a century of upheaval and reinvention. Monumental in scale yet intimate in psychological detail, it becomes a meditation on identity, privilege and loss — a universal portrait of humanity caught between memory and modernity.
Sunday, April 5, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

TO LIVE 活著 (1994)  Directed by Zhang Yimou 張藝謀 (China) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film An adaption of Yu Hua 余華’s sweeping novel into an intimate epic of survival, tracing one family’s fate across decades of political upheaval. Led by a luminous performance from Gong Li 鞏俐, alongside Ge You 葛優, the film balances wry humour and devastating loss with emotional clarity and visual splendour. A landmark of Fifth Generation cinema and a deeply human portrait of endurance in the face of history.


MONTHLY PROGRAM – ACMI 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN 華語 CINEMA

From February – November, CIFF will present a selection of films by Chinese-language directors who have passed away – an ode to remembrance and reflection on their artistry. Spanning from the silent era to contemporary cinema, each film captures the artistic and social temperament of its time, examining the complex history of Chinese-speaking places.

THE TERRORIZERS 恐怖份子 (1986)
LOVE AND DUTY 戀愛與義務 (1931)
THE LAST EMPEROR 末代皇帝 (1987)
BEAUTY OF BEAUTIES 西施 (1965)
THE STORY OF A SMALL TOWN 小城故事 (1980)
STORM UNDER THE SUN 紅日風暴 (2007)
DRAGON INN 龍門客棧 (1967)
SPRING RIVER FLOWS EAST 一江春水向東流 (1947)
AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL 大象席地而坐 (2018)
THE WAY OF THE DRAGON 猛龍過江 (1972)

Tickets.


MONTHLY PROGRAM – LIDO, RITZ, PALACE NOVA 

PANORAMA OF CHINESE CINEMA

 In its third year, this monthly program features a collection of classic and new Chinese films. It aims to broaden audience exposure to Chinese-language film, diversifying the Australian screen culture landscape and providing a window into Chinese-speaking storytelling.

BEL AMI 漂亮朋友 (2024)
YEN AND AI-LEE 小雁與吳愛麗 (2024)
TO LIVE 活着 (1994)
COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY 甜蜜蜜 (1996)
BUTTERFLY 蝴蝶 (2004)
TEN YEARS (2015) 十年,
THREE GOATS CASTRATED 三只羯子(2024)
CENTER STAGE 阮玲玉 (1991)
THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET 白日青春 (2022),
THE ASSASSIN 刺客聶隱娘 (2015)

Tickets (Melb) | Tickets (Syd) | Tickets (Ade)


SEASONAL PROGRAM – ACMI

FOCUS ON TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI

As part of ACMI’s upcoming Focus on Tony Leung Chiu-wai season, CIFF was invited to curate three early and rarely screened works from Tony Leung Chiu-wai 梁朝偉‘s celebrated career, spotlighting lesser-seen chapters of his filmography. Moving into film, Tony has become a director’s actor, working with some truly iconic filmmakers, including Wong Kar-wai, John Woo, Johnnie To, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Ang Lee, Zhang Yi-mou, Ildikó Enyedi and Tran Anh Hung. The list is as impressive as it is long. Join us in the cinema as we journey deep into the films and get lost in the thoughtful eyes of Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

THREE SUMMERS 三個夏天 (1992)
LOVE UNTO WASTE 地下情（1986)
THE LONGEST NITE 暗花 (1997)

Tickets.

BEAUTY OF BEAUTIES
西施 (1965)  Directed by Li Han-hsiang 李翰祥 (China) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaSet in the Warring States era, Beauty of Beauties follows the courtesan Xi Shi, whose grace becomes a political weapon when she is sent to seduce the enemy king. Director Li Han-hsiang 李翰祥 blends historical drama with operatic artifice, creating a film that epitomises mid-century Hong Kong studio spectacle. Beyond its romantic tragedy, Beauty of Beauties explores the timeless interplay of beauty, power, and sacrifice - themes central to Sinophone cinema, where personal desire and political fate often collide.
Sunday, May 3, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY 甜蜜蜜 (1996) Directed by Peter Chan 陳可辛 (Hong Kong) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Set against the backdrop of post-reform migration, Comrades: Almost a Love Story frames romance within the uncertainties of mobility and economic survival. Following two mainland migrants in Hong Kong, the film explores love as contingent, delayed and shaped by structural forces.  Teresa Teng’s music functions as an affective archive, binding personal longing to a shared cultural memory in a city defined by transience. The film enduring resonance lies in its articulation of love under conditions of mobility, precarity and deferred belonging.

THE STORY OF A SMALL TOWN 小城故事 (1980)  Directed by Li Hsing 李行 (Taiwan) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaThe Story of a Small Town follows a young woman caring for her blind father in a modest township, until a new lodger awakens tenderness long buried beneath duty. Anchored by Joan Lin 林鳳嬌’s gentle performance, the film exemplifies the craftsmanship and emotional restraint of Taiwan’s healthy-realism era. Its lasting power lies in its sincerity—affirming human decency amid change. In remembering Li, the film stands as both a love letter to ordinary lives and a cornerstone of Taiwan’s cinematic awakening.
Sunday, June 7, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

BUTTERFLY 蝴蝶 (2004) Directed by Yan Yan Mak 麥婉欣 (Hong Kong) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Flavia is a thirtysomething married teacher. She has suppressed the memory of her adolescent lesbian fling with Jin and is stuck in a stifling marriage. A chance encounter in a supermarket with the playful and seductive singer Yip reawakens dormant feelings and she begins to think back on her teenage affair with Jin.


STORM UNDER THE SUN 紅日風暴 (2007)  Directed by Wei Shiyu 魏時煜 & Peng Xiaolian 彭小莲 (China) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaStorm Under the Sun reconstructs the 1950s Anti-Rightist Campaign through survivor testimony and forbidden archives. Stripping away propaganda, it reveals how fear and silence reshaped generations of Chinese intellectuals and artists. As an act of resistance, its power lies in restoring names and voices erased from the national record—a stark reminder that cinema’s role is not just to dream, but to preserve truth where memory fails.
Sunday, July 5, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

TEN YEARS 十年 (2015) Directed by Kiwi Chow, Jevons Au, Kwok Zune, Ng Ka-Leung, Wong Fei-Pang (Hong Kong) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Comprising five short films by emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, Ten Years imagines a near-future city shaped by authoritarian control, cultural erasure and everyday fear. Set in a speculative 2025, the film depicts ordinary citizens navigating censorship, surveillance and repression. Blending dystopian fiction with social realism, Ten Years operates as both political allegory and urgent warning - capturing collective anxiety at a moment when the future feels disturbingly close.

DRAGON INN
龍門客棧 (1967)  Directed by King Hu 胡金銓 (Taiwan) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaDragon Inn stages a moral duel between loyal fugitives and corrupt power at a desert outpost. With architectural precision, silence, and swift choreography, Hu forged a cinematic language that balances suspense and serenity. Its influence goes far beyond its genre: a study in rhythm, virtue, and the choreography of justice. The film’s timeless energy shows how Chinese-language cinema turns movement into philosophy and legend into art.
Sunday, August 2, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

THREE CASTRATED GOATS 三个羯子 (2024) Directed by Ye Xingyu 叶星宇 (China) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film A rare comedy film capturing the absurd reality of rural China under the influence of Covid-19 pandemic back in 2022. Fei returns to his village from the city to sell goats. As pandemic breaks out in the city, Fei is trapped in the village. When volunteers come to do a PCR test, they notice one goat sneezing. Its escape into the village turns one man's quarantine into a complete farce.

THREE CASTRATED GOATS
三个羯子 (2024)

Directed by Ye Xingyu 叶星宇 (China) 

A rare comedy film capturing the absurd reality of rural China under the influence of Covid-19 pandemic back in 2022. Fei returns to his village from the city to sell goats. As pandemic breaks out in the city, Fei is trapped in the village. When volunteers come to do a PCR test, they notice one goat sneezing. Its escape into the village turns one man's quarantine into a complete farce.


THE SPRING RIVER FLOWS EAST
一江春水向東流 (1947)  Directed by Cai Chusheng 蔡楚生 & Zheng Junli 鄭君里 (China) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaThis two-part masterpiece follows a couple torn apart by war and circumstance, spanning years of longing, betrayal, and moral collapse. Its storytelling ambition and emotional depth set a benchmark for modern Chinese cinema. The film’s power lies in its humanity—how private suffering mirrors national trauma. It remains a cornerstone of cinematic memory, carrying the stories, wounds, and endurance of its era.
Sunday, September 13, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

CENTER STAGE
阮玲玉 (1991) Directed by Stanley Kwan 關錦鵬 (Hong Kong) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Blending historical reconstruction with contemporary reflection, Center Stage revisits the life of 1930s screen icon Ruan Lingyu through a self-reflexive cinematic form. By interweaving reenactment, archival material and present-day interviews, the film collapses temporal distance and foregrounds the act of looking itself. On an audiovisual level, shifting textures and performance registers emphasise history as something continuously re-staged rather than fixed, transforming biography into a meditation on stardom, gender and spectatorship.

AN ELEPHANT
SITTING STILL
大象席地而坐 (2018)    
Directed by Hu Bo 胡波 (China) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaFinished just before his death at the age of 29, Chinese filmmaker Hu Bo’s monumental debut feature follows the troubled lives of four desperate people over the course of a single, suspensful day. In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, from dawn to dusk, when the train to Manzhouli is set to depart.

Sunday,  October 11, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET 白日青春 (2022)
Directed by Lau Kok Rui 劉國瑞 (Malaysia) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Hassan is a Hong Kong-born Pakistani kid waiting for refugee status to Canada. His father died in a car accident that Yat is involved in, who himself was a refugee from China in the 1970s. When Hassan joins a refugees' gang and gets entangled with the police, Yat decides to help him flee, but Hassan finds out the truth about his father's death. Can their journey continue?

THE WAY OF THE DRAGON 猛龍過江 (1972)  Directed by Bruce Lee 李小龍  (Hong Kong) 
Program: Once Upon A Time In 華語 CinemaWritten, directed, and performed by Bruce Lee 李小龍, The Way of the Dragon follows a humble visitor from Hong Kong who becomes an unlikely hero in Rome. Beyond its thrilling choreography and the iconic Colosseum duel with Chuck Norris, the film embodies Lee’s philosophy of adaptability—“be water.” Its legacy goes beyond genre: a bold assertion of self-expression in a world caught between East and West. The film honours Lee not just as a martial artist, but as a visionary who redefined the language, body, and spirit of global cinema.
Sunday, November 8, 2pm

ACMI (Melb) tickets

THE ASSASSIN
刺客聂隐娘 (2015)
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien 劉國瑞 (Malaysia) 
Program: Panorama of Chinese Film Winner of Best Director at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, The Assassin reimagines the action genre through radical restraint and visual precision. Set during the waning years of the Tang dynasty, the film follows Nie Yinniang, a trained assassin tasked with killing a powerful regional leader bound to her by family ties. Hou replaces spectacle with stillness, framing violence as absence rather than action. Through meticulous composition and sound design, The Assassin transforms historical legend into a meditation on power, loyalty and moral hesitation.
Address: Elsewhere Books
Level 3, 139 Franklin Street, Melbourne

CIFF acknowledges the Traditional Owners of
the unceded land on which we work and create,
the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong
peoples, and the wider Kulin Nations.