Around China With A Movie Camera

Explore 50 years of Chinese history through an extraordinary collection of rare travelogues, newsreels and home movies from the BFI archives.

From Hanzhou’s picturesque canals to the Shanghai races, explore 50 years of Chinese history through an extraordinary collection of rare and beautiful travelogues, newsreels and home movies from the archives of the British Film Institute. This eclectic mixture of films include what could well be the oldest surviving film shot in China - unseen for 115 years. Helping to bring this footage to life will be a five-piece band brought together by composer Ruth Chan. Chan is based in the Midlands and for her the project was a chance to connect with her own family roots, creating a beguiling mixture of East and West. The score was commissioned by the British Film Institute. 

Doors 19:30

Start 20:00

Kindly supported by the University of Birmingham's China Institute.

Poster design: Duncan Poulton