A society discovering itself: The amazing, subversive rise of Chinese documentary film

Art Exchange VOL.02/2013｜

Documentary filmmaking isn’t always easy in China; like many forms of journalism, it is political by its very coexistence with state controls that the filmmakers may or may not accept. But, like so many forms of cultural expression in China, it’s been growing rapidly over the last few years, reflecting a society undergoing tremendous change.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, “Chinese Realities/Documentary Visions,” traces the development of Chinese documentary filmmaking in the 25 years since 1988. The documentaries, often filmed guerrilla-style by self-made journalists, artists and activists, are not just a record of China’s changes but part of the country’s fascinating internal dialogue about what it means to be a part of today’s China.