IndieChina Film Festival
The IndieChina Film Festival was a planned Chinese language independent film festival scheduled to be held in New York City between November 8 to 15, 2025.[1][2] The festival's inaugural event was cancelled following Chinese government pressure on directors, moderators, and volunteers to withdraw from the festival.[3][4][5]
Background
The IndieChina Film Festival was to show independently made Chinese films and was curated by Zhu Rikun, a Chinese filmmaker and previous co-founder of the Beijing Independent Film Festival.[6][7] Zhu subsequently moved to New York City.[6] Echo Xuedan Tang was another curator.[8]
History
Over 200 films were submitted to be screened at the 2025 festival, with 31 selected.[1] Cui Zi'en was to be the tribute honoree.[8]
Films selected included:
- Seafood (opening film)[8]
- Butter Lamp
Cancellation
On November 5, the festival's curator Zhu Rikun announced on Facebook that he had to cancel 80% of the planned screenings as a result of filmmakers' withdrawals.[3][6]
Reaction
Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, wrote that the festival's cancellation was an "act of transnational repression" in a statement published on November 6, 2025.[9]
References
- ^ a b Wang, Vivian (2025-11-11). "How China Reached Into New York to Stop a Tiny Film Festival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ Yiu, Pak. "Indie Chinese film festival in US canceled after pressure campaign". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b Hawkins, Amy (2025-11-07). "Film festival in New York cancelled after China puts pressure on directors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "China tightens grip on independent films at home and abroad". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 2026-04-17. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ Feng, Emily (2025-11-13). "Film festival organizer cancels event, citing pressure from China's government". NPR. Archived from the original on 2026-01-31. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c "New York film festival canceled after organizer said filmmakers pressured by Chinese authorities". NBC News. 2025-11-14. Archived from the original on 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ Yan, Qichang (2026-02-25). "Projecting Light in the Shadows". China Media Project. Archived from the original on 2026-07-09. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c "A New Global Scene for Independent Chinese Film". ChinaFile. 2025-11-04. Archived from the original on 2026-03-16. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "China: Authorities Shut Down Film Festival in New York". Human Rights Watch. 2025-11-06. Archived from the original on 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-07-27.