​About this event：

Which stories cross borders, and which are left behind? Asian cinema in the U.S. moves between the spotlight of mainstream appeal and the margins of films too complex, local, or unconventional to fit Western expectations. This panel explores what makes certain works “travel” while others are lost in translation, the stereotypes that shape demand, the cultural gaps that complicate reception, and the creative strategies that can connect overlooked films to the audiences who might embrace them. By tracing these lines of visibility and absence, we ask how Asian creators can navigate the U.S. market without losing the distinct textures of their stories.
 

Speakers:

Inge de Leeuw is an award-winning programmer and curator with over 15 years of experience, currently Director of Programming at Metrograph in New York and formerly senior programmer at IFFR. She has curated internationally across film, art, and digital culture, and was named Best Emerging Programmer at Cannes (2019) and one of Screen International’s Future Leaders (2017)

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Huang Lu, known as the ‘Queen of Chinese Art-house Film,’ has starred in acclaimed works such as Blind Mountain, Blind Massage, and Dog Days. The only post-80s Chinese actress with films selected at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, she is celebrated internationally for her daring, nuanced performances.

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Wang Bing is one of China’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, known for intimate portraits of marginalized lives and modern China’s transformations. His works—from the nine-hour West of the Tracks to Mrs. Fang, Dead Souls, and Youth (Spring)—have earned major international acclaim.

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Cheng-Sim Lim is a Los Angeles–based curator and Asia Delegate for the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Formerly Co-Head of Programming at UCLA Film & Television Archive and Artistic Director of the China Onscreen Biennial, she has championed non-Western cinema in the U.S. and curated globally acclaimed retrospectives such as Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film.

 

Jordan Cronk is a film critic, programmer, and founder of the Acropolis Cinema screening series. His writing regularly appears in Artforum, Film Comment, MUBI Notebook, and the Harvard Film Archive. He's a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a program advisor for the Quinzaine des cinéastes.

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Radium Cheung is a director, producer and cinematographer. He has lensed and co-produced acclaimed motion pictures STARLET (SxSW 2012) and TANGERINE (Sundance 2015) with Director Sean Baker. In recent years he's focused on directing scripted TV series including THE SINNER (Netflix), HIGHTOWN (STARZ) and AMERICAN RUST: BROKEN JUSTICE (Amazon).

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The panel will be moderated by Shiyu Wang, the Programming Director of Alula Film Festival.