China Love
Director | Writer | Co-Producer
2018 | Australia | Feature Documentary | 86 minutes
"Outrageous at the onset, but ultimately poignant, China Love pulls back the veil on the titular nation’s wedding photography industry, which at last count generated billions of dollars annually."
"Her film debut, China Love, is an empathetic take on how the country’s tumultuous history since the Cultural Revolution has influenced its present day."
- Jenny Valentish (The Guardian)
China Love takes us on a billion-dollar ride of fantasy exploring contemporary China through the window of the pre-wedding photography industry.
China Love was produced by Media Stockade and awarded the Create NSW/ABC Arts Documentary Feature Fund, premiering at Sydney Film Festival in 2018.
The project started as a photo series for The Australian Financial Review and later for TIME magazine. By following the story over a period of time, the project grew into an exploration of intergenerational tension, cultural trauma and ultimately, hopes and dreams in contemporary China.
The film had an International Premiere at DOCNYC and went on to play at many more international film festivals, then cinemas in Australia and the UK. It is available on several platforms globally and currently features on Netflix, iQiyi and Sundance Now.
The photo series was exhibited in a major exhibition at the Shanghai Center of Photography, at Pier 2 Arts Taiwan and featured in the HeadOn Photo Festival in Sydney. The series was also published by Media Stockade as a photobook.
Created in collaboration with Atom, the China Love education toolkit was created for the Australian high school curriculum.
The soundtrack is a collaboration between Basil Hogios, Richard Tamplenizza and Shanghai artist CharitySsb. It is available to download on multiple platforms.
