Chinese-language arthouse movies and documentaries are on show free of admission in OCT-LOFT. Most of the movies have English subtitles and are award winners.

    ‘A Simple Goodbye’

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 8

    No English subtitles

    Plot: Directed by Degena Yun, “A Simple Goodbye” tells the story of two generations. A girl who’s confused about what lies ahead is sent to England for schooling. She indulges herself in cyber love and cannot get herself out of the hurtful affair. A middle-aged father who’s perplexed about death leaves his hometown for Beijing when he was young. He feels helpless about the status quo of the State-owned film studio. Tortured by terminal disease, he gives up on living.

    Three documentaries by

    Qiu Jiongjiong

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9

    Subtitles: English

    Plot: “Ode to Joy” depicts the preparation of a memorial Sichuan opera show to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of a veteran Sichuan opera performer. “The Moon Palace” digs into Qiu’s father’s restaurant. The father and his customers, mostly friends, are devoted to good company, wine and its pleasures: poets and philosophers of life and the Sichuan opera. In “A Portrait of Mr. Huang,” retired policeman Huang recalls a murder case two decades ago.

    ‘Mr. Zhang Believes’

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10

    Subtitles: English

    Plot: Blending narrative with experimental theater, director Qiu Jiongjiong lifts the veil on the often-forgotten history of China with insight and crafty wit. In the documentary “Mr. Zhang Believes,” Zhang Xianchi was born into a Kuomintang family in the 1930s but he was an active Communist Party supporter. However, he was jailed after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 due to his family’s background. Qiu will talk with the audience after the screening.

    ‘Poet on a Business Trip’

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 11

    No English subtitles

    Plot: In this feature film, a poet sets off on a “business trip” through rural Xinjiang. The physically exhausting trip features an existential brothel visit, bumping on bad roads and a glimpse of a disappearing world, as well as 16 poems.

    ‘Factory Youth’

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 13

    Subtitles: English

    Plot: “Factory Youth” is Shenzhen director Guo Xizhi’s documentary portrait of migrant workers in Shenzhen and Qingyuan. Guo will talk with the audience after the screening.

    ‘A Shoeshiner’s Journey’

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 12

    Subtitles: English

    Plot: In this documentary, Liu used to hold a governmental position in Tibet but he quits his job and goes on a journey traveling around China. With a broken van as his only companion, Liu dedicates himself to the great aspiration of establishing a university of international communism on his own. The shooting of the documentary lasted for seven years.

    Venue: A3+, North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区A3)

    Metro: Line 1, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A(Cao Zhen)