Mission Statement
Odyssey: a Chinese cinema season – 60+ Films in 8 curated sections, 10 discussion panels, exclusive Q&As and 4 awards. A not-to-be-missed festival in the UK to celebrate international cinema!
Odyssey aims to empower a shared appreciation of film, to create an inclusive cinematic experience, and to encourage cross-cultural understanding. From 10th May to 10th June 2022, with more than 60 films in 8 curated sections, 10 panel discussions and many inspiring Q&A sessions, we will bring you a whole month of outstanding and innovative Chinese cinema that promises to illuminate your mind. The festival will not only introduce the latest young Chinese film talents to the UK audience, but also provide forums for professionals to exchange creativity and business ideas.
2022 Team
Head of Film Festival: Jiakai Nie (Franklin)
Jiakai has been appointed as the Head of Odyssey: a Chinese cinema season this year. He also serves as the Research Specialist for Chinese Regional Cinema at UK-China Film Collab (UCFC). Jiakai is currently a postgraduate student in Film Studies at the University College London. His recent work has been published by Senses of Cinema, a prestigious online film journal.
Lead Film Curator: Yixiang Lin (Sherlly)
Sherlly is an independent curator, an international film distributor, founder of Unicorn Screening, selected to UCFC’s Future Talent Programme 2021-2022 and responsible for the film curation of Odyssey this year. She is currently studying MSc in Film, Exhibition and Curation at the University of Edinburgh, with a focus on female representation and cross-cultural encounters.
Lead of Operations: Zhilin Wang (Lynn)
Zhilin serves as the Lead of Operations at Odyssey. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Creative Enterprise Film at the University of Reading. Prior to joining UCFC, she worked at multiple TV studios, and was responsible for planning and executing programmes. Her preferred genre of film is realism.
Lead of Marketing: Shanshan Wu
Shanshan holds a B.A. and M.A. in both Film Studies and Filmmaking from the University of Sydney. She has worked for independent film agencies as a writer, director, and producer for commercials, promos, and short films. Her personal works include experimental film and video installations, which have been shown in group exhibitions, including “Decinema”, “Time Lost”, “Empty”.
Lead of Public Relations: Liao Zhang
Liao is a PhD researcher in Film Studies at the University of Nottingham, specialising in Chinese girlhood cinema and (post)feminist theory. In addition to her role as the Lead of Public Relations at Odyssey, she also serves as the Lead Women’s Film Programme Curator at UK-China Film Collab, Training Officer at the MeCCSA PGN and Editor for Stanford Social Innovation Review, China.
Lead Designer: Yun Luo (Wayne)
Yun Luo is the Lead Designer for Odyssey this year. He is currently studying Global Arts Management BA at De Montfort University. He studied design for many years in China and has expertise in both graphic and environmental design. Yun has also worked for a leading design institution in China and has many award-winning works to his credit.
Volunteers
Curation Team
Annabel Bai Jackson/Syun Li/Clara Chen/Qi Wang/Vicky Yan/Zoe He/Olivia Hua /Eddy Liu/Ricky Yang
Marketing Team
Fei Jin/Roxane Fu/Lynn Chen/Olivia Pan/Elena Liang/Jinhan Lu/Jenny Yu/Alexander He
Operations Team
Szymon Grochal/Huilan Qi/Zijin Wang/Mengxi Chen/Xinru Lin/Kang Zheng/Ruijing Bu/Harry Robinson
Public Relations Team
Xinxin Li/Chang Liu/Xuan Li/Yeyun Zhou/Chenxi Wei/Yiri Zhu/Yuqi Tang/Joseph Zhou/Rivy Zhang/Annabel Bai Jackson/Tom Whitbread/Yiwen Ma/Zipai Yang/Xiaolian Qiu
Design Team
Meiqi Liu/Lynn Chen
Artistic Director
Dr Hiu Man Chan, Founder of UK-China Film Collab
