As a filmmaker, Yi Cui refrains from defining her work as representing a certain genre. Instead, she allows a leitmotif to develop freely, and to guide her as she looks for an articulate formal expression. The search for the rhythm and poetics that are unique to the cinematic medium is a recurring theme in Cui’s practice.
Cui is interested in weaving this formal pursuit into works that engage with pressing cultural and social questions. In her film Of Shadows (2016), for example, she intertwined two narrative lines to juxtapose urban spectacles with grassroots traditions, provoking viewers to encounter the profound dilemma faced by individuals situated between contemporary reality and the traditional past. Cui is currently working on a feature-length film essay based on her experience working in communities in eastern Tibet facilitating herdsmen, monks, and young students to make their own films.
Cui is a filmmaker from China and an Assistant Professor of Film and Video at Colgate University.
From Our Eyes: Shorts from Tibet with filmmaker Yi Cui (China/US, 90 min): Saturday, March 25, 1:30 p.m. at Cinemapolis FREE