Beijing Bastards

China / Hong Kong 1992, 95 min, English subtitles

An unembellished look at Beijing’s alcohol-ridden, sex-mad youth scene and its leading underground bands. The focal point of this film is the rebellions rock star Cui Jiang, his songs and the people in his sphere of influence. They fall in love, split up, engage in dubious business deals, drink, beat one another up and discuss their future in front of the camera. In marked contrast to the elegiac images of the (art) films that tend to be shown in Europe, this film shows China’s dark sides as well as the incredible energy the teenagers derive from the music beats.

Beijing Musicals

It was only with the onset of Liberalisation in China, that Beijing’s rock music scene was able to come into being. A counter-culture that has nothing to do with ‘revolution’ but with the right to live the way one chooses to live. Two films about the capital’s rapidly developing underground rock scene.