Triple Threat: Cinker Pictures Restaurant, Bar & Cinema

2017 Welcomes Beijing’s Trendiest New Addition: Cinker Pictures

Cinker Pictures is a brand new concept that has opened on the fourth floor of North Sanlitun Taikoo Li next to Space Cycle. Part bar, part restaurant, part cinema it is an intriguing idea that actually fills a vacuum left by the efforts to control media here in the middle kingdom.

Given the paucity of film choices – The Great Wall anyone? – Cinker are planning on showing classic films that you will relish the chance to go and see. Over the month of February 2017, you can expect to see films like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Forrest Gump”, “Wall Street”, “Lolita” and “Fight Club”.

Combine the plush, wide leather chairs with some classic cocktails featured in film favorites (French 75 from Casablanca, Highball from The Great Gatsby (1974) and White Russian from The Big Lebowski) and you may well have an ideal date location. With a cinema that has 30 available seats per film showing, it’s perfect to grab a drink, see a classic film and talk it over a dinner together for an all-in-one date place that covers all the bases. While it’s normally RMB 150 for a ticket + your drink of choice, they have a soft opening promo now where each show ticket is RMB 105 (which also includes a drink).

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3rd Annual China Women’s Film Festival (CWFF)

From the German Film “Of Girls and Horses”

Feminism has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence recently, especially with celebrities from Emma Watson to Beyoncé proclaiming their support of new gender equality initiatives. So it seems fitting that the China Women’s Film Festival (CWFF) is now returning for a third year with events kicking off this Sunday, September 19. A week of events will follow before they move on to tour six other cities in China over the following months.

“The CWFF works to increase public awareness and visibility of female directors, feminists and women in art and film and illuminate the multitude of challenges facing women in China.” The Crossroads Centre

It’s run by the wonderful Crossroads Centre, a local not-for-profit community space, and supported by the UN Women’s HeforShe project which was launched to encourage the equal participation of men and women in working towards gender equality.

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ICEF Events: BJ FOoDiEs Dinner + Hutong Film Fundraiser

Check Out Two Back-to-Back Events to Support ICEF Rugby!

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting the bright and inspirational kids who play for an inner city foundation in Los Angeles, California called ICEF Rugby as part of a Hutong education program. We spent a few days showing them Beijing highlights as part of a two-week China trip (Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong) for their rugby program in March 2013.

I was so impressed and moved by this group of students that we rallied all our friends in the rugby community and beyond to support China’s very first screening of their award-winning documentary, “Red White Black & Blue” which was filmed on the group’s previous international trip to New Zealand for a U16 tournament. A beautifully shot film, it showed the story of the team’s leaders and a few of the players who rise above their circumstances of growing up in the inner city, and travel abroad together to play rugby in a land where rugby is its national sport.

But now that the second film of the award winning Red, White, Black & Blue series is out (check out vimeo film trailer HERE), ICEF Founder and Rugby Coach Stuart Krohn is heading back to Beijing to support my two back-to-back fundraising events with proceeds being donated to ICEF Rugby.

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1st China Women’s Film Festival: Nov. 22 – Dec. 1

“We want women and everyone from all walks of life to attend and be inspired.” 

Organized entirely by a team of volunteers who have been working hard to put together the very first China Women’s Film Festival 2013, I first heard about this new film festival from Lucy Edwards, a volunteer at Dongjen Center for Human Rights Education and student at Renmin University.

“The film festival provides an opportunity to empower women and let their voices be heard in an interesting way. The films and discussions promote respect for women and their experiences, and raise awareness of the many challenges faced by women all over the world. Chinese and International audience members and participants can all expect to learn something new.” – Lucy Edwards, China Women’s Film Festival Volunteer  

The first year for this China Women’s Film Festival, it will take place in various cinema locations around Beijing starting Friday, November 22nd until Sunday, December 1st. Following these couple of weeks in Beijing, the film festival will move on to show in Wuhan, Guangzhou, Dalian and Hong Kong until December 20th.

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​“España de Cine”: 4th Annual Spanish Film Festival

The Spanish Embassy and MOMA Broadway Cinematheque are teaming up to host their 4th Spanish Film Festival “España de Cine” starting today, the 24th of October until next Sunday, the 3rd of November.

Their screening schedule will be a selection of 10 feature films from outstanding directors and young promising talents of the Spanish contemporary cinema industry.

“The film selection has been carried out by Juan Antonio Vigar, Director of the “Málaga Film Festival”, who will participate in the opening ceremony on Thursday 24th of October.”

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Electric Shadows + Serk: Bike-In Movie Theater

This Saturday, September 7, Electric Shadows and Serk are teaming up for the fourth annual Open Air Cinema Bike-In Screening.

What this really means is: Bikes + Booze + Broadway = A Grand Way to Celebrate the End of Summer.

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“This is Sanlitun”: A Film About Expat Life in Beijing

“China is like a beer. If you don’t like the taste just keep drinking.”

With a tag line like that, this new indie comedy film called “This is Sanlitun” is sure to resonate with more than a few expats living in Beijing. Director Robert Douglas and lead actors Carlos Ottery (founder of Comedy Club China) and Christopher Loton take the iconic story of expat life in Beijing, and spin it in a way so that the jokes and nuances ring true for both local and international audiences alike.

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Mongolian Bling! Screening: A New Hip Hop Revolution

Mongolia’s rap stars “keep it real” with just a bit of bling

Mongolian Bling is a documentary that captures the fascinating hip hop culture in Mongolia, from its origins, sky-rocketing popularity and complex social context.

Already internationally acclaimed, the film has been screened all around the world, it was showcased as part of the JUE | Music + Art 2013 festival back in March this year and once at The Hutong.  

If you missed out on the previous screenings of this powerful film earlier this year, The Hutong is proud to be hosting a second screening at their venue this Sunday afternoon, July 21st just after the first of four “Wok Around the World” Cooking Class Series.

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