The Chinese Film Forum UK is an AHRC-supported Research Network set up for the research and promotion of transnational Chinese film. The network includes the University of Manchester, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, Confucius Institute, Chinese Arts Centre and Cornerhouse.
We are:
Felicia Chan is based at the Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures (RICC) and the Centre for Screen Studies, University of Manchester. Her research interests lie in the construction of national and cultural imaginaries in film, literature and other cultural texts. She is particularly fascinated by films, especially East Asian ones, that straddle the divide between cultures.
Emma Chibulu, Cornerhouse
Robert Hamilton, Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University. He studied Fine Art and Art History at Leeds Polytechnic and Leeds University. He has been employed at MMU since 1988. His current research interests include the Urban Generation of Chinese filmmakers and the role of cinema in China’s projection of ‘Soft Power’.
Rachel Hayward, Programme Manager (Film), Cornerhouse. Rachel Hayward has worked at Cornerhouse since 2005. Rachel manages Cornerhouse Programme and Engagement activities with specific responsibility for programming new film releases, festivals, seasons and events. Rachel leads on Cornerhouse’s¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival, curating the film, engagement and visual arts programmes for this annual festival.
Rachel Marsden, Research Curator (part-time) for Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester, and Coordinator (part-time) for Centre for Chinese Visual Arts (CCVA), Birmingham. She is also a PhD student at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, BCU, researching the translation through interpretation of contemporary Chinese art in the West since 1980, specifically the role of the transcultural curator and transcultural curatorial practices. Rachel is also an independent curator, freelance arts writer, and text and book artist, and in recent years has been Visiting Lecturer in HE institutions in the UK and China.
Sarah Perks, Programme and Engagement Director, Cornerhouse. Sarah Perks has worked at Cornerhouse, Manchester’s international centre for contemporary visual arts and film, since 2002. She is responsible for the strategic management and creative direction of all programmes. Sarah recently guest co-edited an edition of Film International and published articles include ‘East Asian New Wave Cinema’ in Alternatives to Hollywood (Auteur 2005). In 2009, Sarah was a British Council Creative Entrepreneur finalist for Visual Arts.
Katherine Popperwell, Confucius Institute. Katherine works as an Events and Marketing Officer at Confucius Institute at the University of Manchester.
Andy Willis, University of Salford. Andy Willis is a Reader in Film Studies and the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Film Studies. He has over 20 years experience of teaching film and media studies, working extensively in adult, further and higher education. Andy is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornerhouse, Manchester’s international mixed arts venue and Chair of the Board of Filmonik, Manchester’s monthly open space for filmmakers. He has written and edited several books and has co-curated various programmes at Cornerhouse, Manchester.
*Postscript: As with any organisation, over time people have come and gone and thanks are due to a number of people who have supported us, and some of whom continue to support us in different capacities. This list is representative, not exhaustive, as there are invariably many others from our respective institutions who have assisted in various administrative and organisational capacities, whose support has been invaluable, and to whom our gratitude is also extended.
Ying Kwok, former curator at Chinese Arts Centre.
Professor Liu Hong, in his former capacity as director of the Confucius Institute and the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Manchester; presently, Chair of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Professor Jackie Stacey, co-director of the Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures (RICC) and director of the Centre for the Inter-disciplinary Research in the Arts (CIDRA), University of Manchester
Karen Wang, Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute, University of Manchester
Xiaochen Spring Zhang, Programme Officer and Language Co-ordinator, Confucius Institute, University of Manchester
Dr Felicity Colman, Reader in Screen Media, Manchester Metropolitan University