Programmed by Frank Yan
Wuhan changed the world in 2020 as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the eighth-most-populous city in China and with a history that dates back for 3,500 years, Wuhan has a lot more stories to tell. Its 1911 uprising sparked the revolution that ended two millennia of imperial rule in China. The city is a major transportation hub once dubbed as “the Chicago of China” with its rich networks of rivers and lakes. It’s also the home to multiple higher education institutes. This series brings together a diverse lineup of feature films and documentaries shot in Wuhan, exploring different facets of China’s River City.
Wuhan changed the world in 2020 as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the eighth-most-populous city in China and with a history that dates back for 3,500 years, Wuhan has a lot more stories to tell. Its 1911 uprising sparked the revolution that ended two millennia of imperial rule in China. The city is a major transportation hub once dubbed as “the Chicago of China” with its rich networks of rivers and lakes. It’s also the home to multiple higher education institutes. This series brings together a diverse lineup of feature films and documentaries shot in Wuhan, exploring different facets of China’s River City.
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Access Programs provided by
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Leadership support for
BAM programming provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Film provided by
The Thompson Family Foundation
Major support for programs in
the Lepercq Cinema is provided by
The Lepercq Charitable Foundation
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FilmThe Wild Goose Lake
May 2—May 4, 2025
The Wild Goose Lake
May 2—May 4, 2025When a small-time mob leader accidentally kills a cop, a dead-or-alive bounty forces him to flee the police as well as dangerous gangsters out for the reward in Diao Yinan’s neo-noir thriller. -
FilmLuxury Car
Fri, May 2, 2025
Luxury Car
Fri, May 2, 2025A man from a small village comes to the city of Wuhan determined to see his son, but instead finds his daughter working as a karaoke bar escort, forcing him to come to terms with their estranged relationship. -
FilmWuhan Narrative Shorts
Sat, May 3, 2025
Wuhan Narrative Shorts
Sat, May 3, 2025Filmmakers use a variety of techniques, including live-action filming, printmaking, animation, and compilation, to capture the complex tapestry of life in Wuhan. -
FilmA River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces
May 3—May 7, 2025
A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces
May 3—May 7, 2025A wordless 2021 documentary by Shengtze Zhu mixes haunting lockdown footage, text from anguished letters, and placid images of the Yangtze landscape to evoke Wuhan changed by Covid. -
FilmGirl Students' Dormitory
May 3—May 8, 2025
Girl Students' Dormitory
May 3—May 8, 2025Five young women from different backgrounds share a Wuhan college dorm during the 80s, overcoming class distinctions, hardship, and heartbreak in coming to understand one another during their first semester. -
FilmMystery
May 3—May 8, 2025
Mystery
May 3—May 8, 2025A woman discovers her husband is leading a double life when she sees him entering a hotel with a strange woman, who dies beneath the wheels of a car soon afterward, in this critically praised drama by Lou Ye. -
FilmOut of Focus
May 4—May 6, 2025
Out of Focus
May 4—May 6, 2025Out of Focus challenges the conventional portrayal of migrant children, empowering them through giving them cameras to document their own lives and concerns, and incorporating their photos into the film. -
FilmFeng Shui
May 4—May 7, 2025
Feng Shui
May 4—May 7, 2025A woman desperate to improve her social and economic status inflicts lasting damage on her family, alienating her husband and son in this drama directed by Jing Wang, based on a Fang Fang novella. -
FilmCity Dream
May 4—May 5, 2025
City Dream
May 4—May 5, 2025A comedic documentary by Weijun Chen (Please Vote for Me) tells the story of Wang Tiancheng, a spirited elderly street vendor in Wuhan whose business is threatened by new retail developments. -
FilmWuhan Documentary Shorts
Mon, May 5, 2025
Wuhan Documentary Shorts
Mon, May 5, 2025Horticulture, intimacy, memory, and imagination evoke images and impressions of life in Wuhan, before and after the Covid pandemic and lockdown changed life in the city and around the world. -
FilmPlease Vote For Me
May 6—May 8, 2025
Please Vote For Me
May 6—May 8, 2025Third graders in Wuhan have their first encounter with democracy by holding an election to select a Class Monitor, competing against each other while being egged on by teachers and doting parents.
