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EASTINDIE (ARCHIVE)

EASTINDIE was a blog about the independent film scene in China that ran from 2014 to 2022. During that time, it featured interviews with the creative minds behind more than 100 features, documentaries and shorts shot in and around the PRC. Some of that work has been republished in the archive below.

Sheep

Sheep

Sheep tells the futuristic story of a man looking for help ending his life before he becomes the next victim of an unfolding zombie epidemic. We chat with director Matthieu Tondeur about the world of the walking dead, shooting on Super 16 and the horror sub-genre that simply refuses to die.

Assistance

Assistance

Things get grim as two brothers conspire take the life of their elderly father in the upcoming dark comedy, Assistance. We talk with writer-director John Doherty about embracing the macabre, jumping in at the deep end and the making of his debut short.

December / Shanghai

December / Shanghai

December / Shanghai tells the story of a lonely ESL teacher forced to consider an unlikely dinner guest when her last friend in town cancels on Christmas Eve. Writer-director Justin Scott chats about putting lessons into practice, the camaraderie of filmmaking and shooting his latest short.

Forty Licks

Forty Licks

Shanghai transforms into 1980s UK, as a young woman and a Rolling Stones die-hard join forces on a targeted hit in Forty Licks. Filmmaker Phillipe Witana riffs on the challenges and lessons he learned from the making of his rock ‘n’ roll-inspired short.

In the Fog

In the Fog

In the Fog tells the story of two expats caught between the loneliness of life in Shanghai and a refusal to return home. Writer-director Marcin Gajewski chats about the importance of trust, the complexities of shooting in China, and the search for happiness in one of the world’s biggest cities.

The Second Page

The Second Page

The Second Page takes a look at the strange—and, at times, unbelievable—world of Chinese film and television through the eyes of a foreign actor working in Shanghai. Writer-director Justin M. Scott discusses improving his craft, keeping pace with change, and the story behind his upcoming short.

Christmas at the Royal Hotel

Christmas at the Royal Hotel

Lives are caught up in the devastation and turmoil of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Second World War in Christmas at the Royal Hotel. Writer-director Craig McCourry talks reliving one of the darkest moments in the history of the former British colony.