The Farewell 《别告诉她》, 25. 06. 2025, 18:00, ZHG 005
Mand. m. engl. UT, 98 Minuten, Referentin: Dr. Yongli Li (Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf), (En/Ch)
The Language of Belonging: Cultural Identity of Diasporic Experience
in The Farewell
The award-winning semi-autobiographical comedy-drama film The Farewell is a timely production that resonates with contemporary global audiences navigating an increasingly interconnected yet culturally fragmented world. Its thought-provoking and nuanced portrayal of various transnational migration trajectories, intergenerational cultural conflicts and reconciliations, (un)conditional family love, and contrasting views surrounding death paints a complex image of Chinese diaspora and theircultural identity. This film screening event will begin with a brief introduction to the film and its production background. After the screening, we will explore themes of language and identity in this film. The film screening will be in English and Mandarin, with English subtitles, the post-screening conversation will be conducted in English.
Yongli Li is Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at College of the Holy Cross in the U.S. She specializes in Chinese film history, urban cinema and media industry. She has published in academic journals, including Transnational Screens, Global Storytelling: Journal of Digital and Moving Images, Chinese Literature Today. In addition to her research on Chinese media, she has taught Chinese language courses at universities in California, New York and Massachusetts. During the 2024-2025 academic year, she also holds a visiting assistant professor position at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf.