Cui Zi'en

Cui Zi'en , born 1958, in Harbin in the People's Republic of China, is a film director, producer, film scholar, screenwriter, novelist and an outspoken LGBT activist based in Beijing. He graduated from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with an MA in literature and now is an associate professor at the Film Research Institute of the Beijing Film Academy.

Cui Zi'en is one of the avant-garde DV makers in Chinese underground film. He has published nine novels in China and Hong Kong, one of which, Uncle's Past, won the 2001 Radio Literature Award in Germany. In the same year, he founded the Beijing Queer Film Festival, the first LGBT film festival in mainland China. He is also the author of books on criticism and theory, as well as a columnist for magazines.

Recognition In 2002, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) presented the Felipa de Souza Award to Cui Zi'en.

Cui brought issues of same-sex love into Chinese culture and public awareness, with a prolific crop of critically acclaimed articles, lectures, books, and films, including the first gay novel in modern China. Despite it being banned in mainland China, the novel is still available through unofficial channels.

Filmography Year English title Original title Notes 1999 Men and Women (Man Man Woman Woman) (Nannan nünü) 男男女女 writer 2002 Enter the Clowns 丑角登场 writer, director, actor The Old Testament 旧约 writer, director Welcome to Destination Shanghai 目的地，上海 actor 2003 Feeding Boys, Ayaya 哎呀呀，去哺乳 writer, director, actor, producer Keep Cool and Don't Blush 脸不变色心不跳 writer, director Night Scene 夜景 writer, director 2004 An Interior View of Death 死亡的內景 writer, director The Narrow Path 雾语 writer, director Pirated Copy 蔓延 writer Shitou and That Nana 石头和那个娜娜 writer, director Star Appeal 星星相吸惜 writer, director 2005 My Fair Son 我如花似玉的儿子 director WC 呼呼哈嘿 writer, director Withered in a Blooming Season (Withered Lads in a Blooming Season) 少年花草黄 writer, director 2006 Empty Town 水墨青春 writer Refrain 副歌 writer, director 2008 Er Dong 二冬 producer Queer China, ‘Comrade’ China 誌同志 writer, director 2010 The Wild Strawberries 野草莓 writer