AM11: AFQ Docs: Asian Feminist & Queer Documentary Working Group

Collaborative Goals

The AFQ Docs Working Group fosters cross-institutional collaboration to examine gender and queer issues in contemporary Asia through documentary film. We plan to achieve this by:

1. Screenings & Discussions – Hosting virtual and in-person screenings of selected feminist and queer documentaries, followed by discussions with scholars, students, and community members.
2. Filmmaker Engagement – Organizing online Q&A sessions with directors to gain insights into their creative processes, challenges, and the sociopolitical contexts of their work.
3. Featuring Leading Activist Voices – Inviting internationally recognized feminist activists such as Shiori Ito and Zhou Xiaoxian (Xianzi) to participate in the workshop series will provide rare opportunities for Corridor faculty and students to directly engage with individuals at the forefront of feminist and queer activism in Asia.
4. Interdisciplinary Dialogue – Bringing together scholars from diverse fields, including film studies, gender studies, Asian studies, and media studies, to explore intersectional perspectives on feminist and LGBTQ+ activism.
5. Expanding Film Representation – We will begin by exploring feminist and queer documentaries from East and Southeast Asia but remain open to expanding to other parts of Asia. This approach allows for a broader regional representation and deeper comparative analysis.
6. Building a Sustainable Network – Establishing long-term academic connections among scholars, filmmakers, and institutions to facilitate ongoing research, teaching collaborations, and potential future projects, such as conference panels and publications.

By fostering these exchanges, we seek to amplify marginalized voices, promote nuanced understandings of gender and queer identities in Asia, and contribute to broader conversations on documentary film as a medium of social critique and advocacy.