As part of Columbia University Libraries ADEI (Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) awarded programs, the event of “Affirming Queer Intimacies in Sinophone Cinema” was held successfully during February 15-17, 2023.

It featured representative films of such critically acclaimed sinophone filmmakers of queer cinema as Zi’en Cui, Popo Fan (China), Zero Chou and Yunhou Liu (Taiwan). Open to both members of Columbia and general public, the program was mainly supported by the Columbia University Libraries and co-sponsored by the School of the Arts, the Lenfest Center for the Arts, the Film and Media Studies Program, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, the Global Center Beijing, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and the Starr Library Dragon Summit Culture Endowment Fund.

The program included the following components: First, the screening of significantly important films of the three filmmakers in Butler Library and the Lenfest Center for Arts; Second, three post-screening discussions with the film directors, and one roundtable dialogue between the filmmakers (the above-mentioned four and Kit Hung of Hong Kong) and faculty members of film studies, Prof. Ying Qian, Department of East Asian Languages Cultures and Prof. Ron Gregg, Director of M.A. & Media Studies Program, School of the Arts, and moderated by Jim Cheng, Director of Starr East Asian Library. Third, the five filmmakers’ classroom participation and presentation for the courses “Chinese Media Cultures” by Prof. Ying Qian and “Queer Cinema” by Prof. Ron Gregg; Fourth and lastly, the acquisition of the films on DVD and in streaming media by the library, and the first-time hosting of the CUL’s institutional contents of acquired streaming films on the platform of Alexander Street.

Nearly 300 people participated in the activities, including faculty members and students from NYU, Yale and Dartmouth.