Electric Shadows: Leicester Chinese Film Festival is set to make its return from 24 to 30 November, organised by the School of Creative Industries and Culture (CIC) and the newly launched Faculty of Arts, Technology and Culture (TAC) at DMU. Screenings and activities will be hosted at both Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre and Showcase Cinema de Lux.
Now a regular feature of the university’s cultural calendar, the festival is jointly coordinated by the Cultural Management Subject group and the Confucius Institute, drawing on shared expertise to celebrate Chinese cinema.
This year’s festival will begin on the evening of Monday 24 November with the UK Premiere of “Shore of Life” (2025). The programme will expand beyond film screenings to include cultural showcases, live performances, creative workshops and industry briefings, offering visitors a rich and varied experience.
Speaking about the festival’s spirit, Professor Yi Zhang, Co-Director of the Confucius Institute, remarked: “The Chinese film festival is like a luminous window into China’s soul. Each film is a vivid brushstroke on a moving canvas, allowing audiences to travel through history, culture, and emotion, and to experience the warmth and depth of Chinese stories through the universal art of cinema.”
Reflecting on the festival’s evolution, Dr Hiu Man Chan, Co-Founder of Electric Shadows and Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries at DMU, commented: “Electric Shadows is a relatively new addition to many well-known festivals in the city of Leicester. It is a true adventure to work with different partners each year to nurture its growth, at the same time exploring a space for conversation via a shared passion in the cinema. I am determined to keep it going the best I can.”
This year’s programme line-up includes:
The Shore of Life (2025, Opening Film & UK Premiere), Showcase
The Shadow’s Edge (2025), Showcase
Black Dog (2024), Showcase
Ping Pong (2012), Phoenix
The Grandmaster, Phoenix
Chinese craft workshop + Ne Zha 2 (2025), Phoenix
Industry Briefing, Phoenix
Panda Plan (2024, Closing Film), Phoenix
Now in its fourth edition, this year’s momentum has attracted one of Asia’s most established multinational financial enterprises.
Hantec Group, founded in 1990, is committed to delivering a wide spectrum of global services, covering finance, information technology, creative culture, art collection, public utilities, advertising, and marketing.
The Group has obtained 12 internationally recognised financial regulatory licences, including those issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The festival continues to offer internship opportunities for students from Arts and Festival Management BA and Cultural Events Management MSc. This year, 13 students from Leicester College were also part of the organising team on the opening night.
