Recent Beijing Film Academy grad Popo heads the China Queer Independent Film Group. Ahead of the group’s upcoming Beijing screening, he tells us about his documentary short “New Beijing, New Marriage,” which screens at Obiwan on Sunday, June 28 at 8pm.

Why did you form the Queer Independent Film Group?
Well, there are three of us, and we wanted to screen gay films for audiences here in China, as well as produce our own films. Few films with any gay content are ever screened in China, so our aim is to let more people in China understand gay life and culture.

Tell us about your upcoming event at Obiwan. What will we see?
We’ll be screening a number of short documentaries about social issues. One is about a gay and lesbian wedding event held at Tian’anmen Square last Valentine’s Day.

You directed that one, right?
Yes. The film’s called “New Beijing, New Marriage,” which is a riff off of the Olympics slogan, “New Beijing, New Olympics.” Last year, there was a lot of talk about all the progress Beijing has seen. And there has been progress on every front—economically, culturally—but there’s still progress to be made, and that’s one reason I made the film.

Was it difficult to shoot?
Well, everyone worked hard to make the process as smooth as possible. After the brides and grooms posed, we asked people on the street for their opinions. People were quite supportive. They said the couples were brave, and many said they felt moved by the event.

Wow. So, what other films will be screened?
My partners in the group, Shitou and Ningning, spent some time at the Pride Parade in America and made a short. There’s another, “Queer China,” which won Best Documentary at the Torino GLBT Festival.

So, what’s your next project?
I’m shooting a film about coming out. Last year, we did a Queer Independent Film Group tour. We traveled to cities across China and interviewed lots of different people. I recently shot an amazing story about a son who came out to his mother, then his mom came all the way to Beijing to stop him ... When the film comes out, you’ll find out what happens.

DETAILS: Popo’s film “New Beijing, New Marriage” screens at Obiwan, Sunday, June 28, 8pm, Tel: 6617-3231