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2022

Spanning past and present Hidden Letters follows two millennial Chinese women, connected by their fascination with the secret language of sisterhood and their desire to protect it.

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Besides a well, one does not thirst. Besides a sister, one does not despair.
— a Nushu poem


I knew I wanted to tell a contemporary story, to connect Nushu with the state of women’s rights
in today’s China.
— Director Violet Du Feng

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** WORLD PREMIERE AT TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, NEW YORK, USA -  JUNE 2022 **

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*** Now available on Amazon, Apple-TV, Google Play & YouTube ***

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For more info and screening dates: hiddenlettersfilm.com

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Watch the Trailer

Format & Length

Feature Documentary.

  • Format & Length: HD, 86 min

  • Director: Violet Du Feng

  • Co-Director: Zhao Qing

  • DOP: Feng Tiebing, Wei Gao

  • Editor: John Farbrother

  • Composers: Chad Channon, Leona Lewis

  • Post-Production: Hinterland AS

  • Sound Design: FilmReaktor AS

  • Producers: Violet Du Feng, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Jean Tsien, Su Kim

  • Executive Producers: James Costa, Ken Pelletier

  • Co-Producers: Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer, Betsy Tsai

  • Production: Fish & Bear (US, China), Ten Thousand Images AS (Norway),  Independent Television Service (ITVS), ARTE/ZDF

  • Co-Production: Elomag Pictures - Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer (Germany)

  • Financed by: ITVS Independent Lens/PBS, ARTE/ZDF, Inmaat Pictures, IDA, EST, Chicken & Egg, Sundance, Johnathan Logan Foundation, Doc Society, Norwegian Film Institute, Viken Filmsenter, Fritt Ord Foundation, Bergesenstiftelsen.

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Reviews

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"★★★★☆

Violet Du Feng’s documentary, Hidden Letters, is a carefully considered, fiercely potent snapshot of a country and society in flux."

Loud and Clear, December 1st 2022

 

"★★★★☆

making the cramped rebellious impulses of long-dead women echo with female solidarity and independence today. This is a deft act of historical revival."

   -- The Guardian, November 30th 2022

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"You may very well not see a more beautifully realized documentary in 2022."

The Independent Critic

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"Hidden Letters is an extraordinary film: masterfully conceived, strategically designed and highly crafted."

Documentary Magazine, July 9th 2022

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"If there is such a thing as “female gaze” within filmmaking, Feng has captured it."

The Austin Chronicle, June 28th 2022

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"Hidden Letters has to be one of my favorite films of Tribeca 2022 ... The doc will definitely make you think about that line between capitalism and culture. Director Violet Du Feng does an amazing job of framing the questions while showing how Nushu is still facilitating rebellion and strength in modern Chinese women. It’s a film that will leave you questioning the capitalization of oppressed populations and their legacy."

The Black Cape, June 24th 2022

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"This picture is for the women who have suffered and can now express their thoughts through a language that nobody would understand unless one took the time to truly try to grasp it. This is an important film that should not be missed."

Filmbook, June 14th 2022

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"Feng and Qing have created a masterstroke of poetic cinema ..."

FilmThreat, June 11th 2022

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"The past, present and future of women in China’s oppressively patriarchal society is a big topic to address in under 90 minutes, but Violet Du Feng’s unassuming but very moving documentary Hidden Letters covers a lot of ground."

Deadline, June 11th 2022

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"Feng and Gao establish a rhythm for the film that conjures a nushu poem itself."

Alliance of Women Film Journalists, June 6th 2022
 

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