Yuran Yan

Suddenly losing her voice for years, director Chen Zhen (30, female) returns to her hometown to find actors for her film. A traditional ritual plunges her into a greater crisis, mirroring the confusion in her own directionless work.

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Virginia Woolf’s death, the streaming platform Montage is currently screening a showcase of feminist-themed films entitled “To Be a Woman.” The online showcase features 10 short films made by emerging female directors, curated by the Shanghai-based independent filmmaker, curator, and critic Lǚ Yáo 吕遥. Her selection has brought out a rich panorama of stories about women’s experiences and lives in modern China. According to Montage’s page for the program, the films are linked by feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir’s framework of the five stages of life: Childhood, Adolescence, Youth, Middle Age, and Old Age.