Documentary Cultural Day
The Chinese Independent Film Archive and the School of Modern Languages host a Documentary Cultural Day for North East pupils.
20 April 2026
The Chinese Independent Film Archive (CIFA), in collaboration with the School of Modern Languages, welcomed secondary and sixth-form pupils from across the North East to Newcastle University for a Documentary Cultural Day.
The event built on the success of last year’s inaugural screening. It offered pupils the opportunity to explore contemporary Chinese culture through independent documentary film.
The programme featured three short documentaries from the CIFA collection:
- Speaking Up 2 (Tammy Cheung, 2008),
- Face to Face (Ye Yun, 2010)
- Peking Opera Master (Guo Haitao, 2016)
After each screening, students took part in guided discussions.
Nearly 20 pupils from two North East secondary schools attended with their teachers.
Students took part in meaningful discussions after the screenings. Some students noted that the films connected with their own experiences in the UK and helped change some of their stereotypes about China. Others highlighted the passion of the Peking opera artist featured in the final film. This gave them a new understanding of how Chinese culture is preserved within diaspora communities.
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. 90% of students said they would like to watch more films of this kind and found them helpful for learning about Chinese culture, society and language.
This cultural day forms part of CIFA’s ongoing commitment to promoting the study and appreciation of Chinese independent documentary and to supporting educational engagement with contemporary Chinese culture.