“Reflection of the Timeline,” an event presenting 11 Chinese art-house movies and documentaries, will be held starting this Sunday at OCT-LOFT. Most of the movies were screened at international film festivals and won prizes. Each director will talk with audience members after his film is shown except for Du Haibin, who will only attend his Nov. 6-8 screenings.

    All of the movies and documentaries will have English-subtitles except “Stone Mountain” and “Kaili Blues.” The entry is free.

    ‘Tharlo’ by Pema Tseden

    (7:30 p.m., Nov. 1)

    Adapted from a short story written by the director himself, the movie centers on a naive 40-year-old Tibetan shepherd. His arrival in the city and his encounter with a girl soon shatter his illusions. “Tharlo” was nominated in the Orizzonti section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival in September. It was also nominated for four major awards at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards to be held Nov. 21 in Taiwan.

    ‘Gossip’ by Huang Xiang

    (8 p.m., Nov. 2)

    A tired steel worker listens as her colleagues gossip. After a while, she escapes into the lush, flower-filled meadows of her imagination. The eight trigrams of the title refer to a traditional practice of fortune telling in China, now meaning chitchat.

    ‘River’ by Sonthar Gyal

    (8 p.m., Nov. 3)

    The complexity of human relations is the subject of Tibetan writer-director Gyal’s marvelous film, “River.” Little girl Yangchan struggles with her fear of losing her parents’ love when her mother gets pregnant and weans her. At the same time, her stubborn dad wages a silent war against her grandpa for what he considers an unforgivable lapse. The movie was shown in the section Generation Kplus at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in February.

    ‘1428’ by Du Haibin

    (8 p.m., Nov. 4)

    Documentary “1428” recounts the Sichuan earthquake May 12, 2008. Ten days later, director Du arrived in Beichuan, the hardest-hit town, and began filming this remarkable documentary, capturing the stunned reactions of the villagers, the horrific damage to homes and livelihoods and the torment of losing loved ones. “1428” has won the Best Documentary at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.

    ‘Umbrella’ by Du Haibin

    (8 p.m., Nov. 5)

    “Umbrella” documents the experiences of five social groups of workers, students, soldiers, traders and farmers. Du intends to highlight the growing disparity between prosperous cities and its stagnating countryside. “Umbrella” has been screened at the 64th Venice Film Festival as part of the Horizons Documentary program.

    ‘A Young Patriot’ by Du

    Haibin (8 p.m., Nov. 6)

    A generation born in the 1990s expresses a passionate patriotism for their country. Du’s documentary portrays Zhao Chantong, a student in Pingyao who must negotiate with the realities of contemporary China in his passage into adulthood. It won the jury prize at the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival in March.

    ‘Stone Mountain’ by Du

    Haibin (3 p.m., Nov. 7)

    Fifty kilometers northwest of Beijing, there is a mountainous region rich in granite. Because of rapid urban expansion, the government has contracted farmers in the area to mine their land. Many farmers come from far to cut the huge stone cubes, which will be used to pave city streets or build houses. Shot in different seasons, the documentary follows four main characters, who struggle in the cold, rain and snow to cut granite.

    ‘Beautiful Men’ by Du

    Haibin (7:30 p.m., Nov. 7)

    “Beautiful Men” is a documentary about a gay club in Chengdu.

    ‘Under the Skyscraper’ by Du Haibin (3 p.m., Nov. 8)

    This documentary centers on two migrants who work for a property management company in Beijing. The movie contrasts their workplace of a luxury high-rise building and their life in a basement.

    ‘Along the Railway’ by Du

    Haibin (7:30 p.m., Nov. 8)

    The documentary follows a group of migrant workers who sleep near the Baoji Railway Station in Shaanxi Province.

    ‘Kaili Blues’ by Bi Gan

    (8 p.m., Nov. 9)

    Kaili is a small town in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province and is the director’s hometown. The movie tells the story of the protagonist, who, while looking for his niece, stops in an otherworldly town that mingles his past, present and future. “Kaili Blues” won the Best Emerging Director at the Locarno International Film Festival in August in Switzerland.

    Venues: Screenings on Nov. 1-3, 9 will be held at B10 and the ones on Nov. 4-8 will be held at A3+

    Add: North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区)

    Metro: Luobao Line, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A

    (Cao Zhen)