Hidden Letters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Violet Du Feng
- Zhao Qing
- Violet Du Feng
- John Farbrother
- Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas
- Jean Tsien
- Su Kim
- Hu Xin
- Simu Wu
- He Yanxin
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Running time | 89 minutes |
| Language | Mandarin |
Hidden Letters is a 2022 Chinese documentary film directed by Violet Du Feng. It follows the lives of two Millennial Chinese women who study Nüshu, a script used exclusively by women in Jiangyong County, Hunan province, to communicate and commiserate over Chinese patriarchy.
The film premiered on 6 June 2022 at the Tribeca Festival. It received critical acclaim for its exploration of the resonances between the historical and modern role of women in Chinese society, although a few critics wished for additional historical background. It was shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards in the documentary category.
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The film depicts the personal lives of two Millennial Chinese women who study Nüshu, a script used exclusively by women in Jiangyong County, Hunan province, to communicate and commiserate over Chinese patriarchy. The first, Xin Hu, is a tour guide at the Nüshu Museum who divorced an abusive husband. She forms a bond with He Yanxin, an elderly Nüshu master. The second, Simu Wu, a singer who lives in Shanghai, is the youngest government-designated "inheritor" of the language. She is engaged to a man from a rural family but later leaves him after he pressures her to give up her studies to take on a job and raise children.[1] Both women encounter entrepreneurs and government authorities seeking to promote a sanitized version of the language and to commercialize it to brand products including "high-end potatoes".[2]
Production
The film was directed by Violet Du Feng and co-directed by Zhao Qing. It was produced in China, the United States, Norway, and Germany.[3]
Release
The film premiered on 6 June 2022 at the Tribeca Festival.[4] It was shown on the PBS series Independent Lens in March 2023.[5] It is being reviewed for the Chinese market.[6]
