30 Dec 2013

"Wedding Plan" | First LGBT Public Service Announcement in China

The first LGBT public service announcement for China has been released by Queer Comrades. And the good news is, it hasn’t yet been banned.

“Wedding Plan”, a fictional short by Filmmaker Quentin Lee, aims to empower LGBT and inform the wider community in China. The film explores a mother’s unexpected reaction when her son informs her of his impending marriage. It has the simple yet powerful message of “be yourself.”

Lee explains the thinking and inspiration behind the short: “When I was working in China earlier this year, I took the subway in Beijing every day and I saw people glued to their mobile devices watching content. I just thought it would be great to make a short web PSA for mobile devices to empower LGBT people in China.”

Lee teamed up with local Beijing activist, actor and filmmaker Xiaogang Wei, founder of China’s first Aids Walk and winner of a Vanguard Award. The film explores the issue around marriage for young Chinese people. For LGBT people and beyond the pressures of marriage can be stifling, the short asks questions when and how traditional attitudes and expectations may change.

With a voluntary cast and crew, Quentin wrote, directed and edited the piece with Xiaogang as the producer and one of the actors. The film has just been released on Xiaogang’s own non-profit website, Queer Comrades, and can also be viewed on YouTube and Youku.