Sixi Screening Project
Film Screening - The Goddess & New Women
Starring: Ruan Lingyu
Event Flow
10:30-11:46 Screening of The Goddess
14:00-15:46 Screening of New Women
16:00-17:00 Discussion
Discussion Guest: Lucia Lu
Event Review
What is the “New” Women?
And what moulds a “New” Woman?
On 20 April, in the third session of Sixi Screening Project, a discussion on the recognition and definition of woman’s identity unfolded through the screening of two classic Chinese silent films by Ruan Lingyu, The Goddess and New Women.
Through the images, we see Shanghai in the 1930s, a miraculous city, the enormous wealth gap between rich and poor, prostitutes struggling to make a living, mothers enduring for their children, women battling against male domination and class oppression, a new generation of women pursuing higher education, freedom of love, and economic independence.
After the screening, Lucia Lu, assistant professor at the school of cultural technology of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, spoke to the audience about how women’s identities were shaped and transformed in film history, as well as the rights and freedoms that the feminist movements have brought to women from the 19th century to the present day.
From the time of New Women until today, women continue to face similar discriminatory and unjust situations, what substantial achievements have these nearly 100 years of feminism and the struggle for equal rights between men and women actually brought to women in our time?
The initial intention of Sixi Screening Project is to construct a dialogue concerning social issues and changes between imagery and the audience. Further screenings with different themes based on this concept will be organised, aiming to build more bridges between the public and the art creators.