CathayPlay In Motion｜Let Films Travel Across the World
Let films travel across the world.
CathayPlay In Motion is CathayPlay’s global cultural initiative for in-person engagement. Through film screenings, post-screening conversations, festival collaborations, exhibitions, and other cultural events, it brings independent Chinese-language and East Asian cinema into cities and communities around the world.
Since launching in 2019, CathayPlay has been on this journey for seven years. During that time, we have built a catalogue of nearly 1,000 independent Chinese-language and East Asian films and witnessed the persistence and courage of countless filmmakers.
Yet we have always believed that the life of a film should not exist only on a streaming platform. It also lives in a bookshop, a café, a cinema, a university, a cultural space—and in those moments after a screening when people choose to stay and continue the conversation.
That is why we are officially launching CathayPlay In Motion.
CathayPlay In Motion encompasses all film screenings, filmmaker conversations, festival collaborations, exhibitions, reading groups, and other film-centred cultural activities initiated, supported, or co-organised by CathayPlay.
We hope that films will not simply be watched, but will genuinely enter different cities, become part of different communities, and create opportunities for people to meet, exchange ideas, and reflect together.
Last year, we issued an open call to find like-minded partners around the world who shared our commitment to promoting independent Chinese-language cinema. Over the past year, we have worked with partners in New York, Hamburg, Melbourne, Washington, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and other cities to organise more than forty events.
Some of these independent film screenings were followed by conversations with the filmmakers. Others became cultural gatherings led by the audiences themselves. After every event, there were always people who stayed behind—talking about the people in the films, and also sharing stories of their own.
Once again, we became certain of one thing:
The value of cinema lies not only in being watched, but in bringing people together.
Each local chapter of CathayPlay In Motion is initiated by a CathayPlay Fellow, our local partner in a particular city or region.
CathayPlay Fellows are members of CathayPlay’s global network and may be either individuals or organisations. As local initiators in their respective cities, they independently curate and organise screenings of independent films. Together with CathayPlay, they help build local film communities and create lasting opportunities for independent Chinese-language and East Asian films to meet new audiences.
CathayPlay provides film licensing, promotional materials, complimentary or discounted website memberships, and opportunities for collaboration across the global Fellow network. Our Fellows, in turn, make it possible for CathayPlay In Motion to continue taking place in cities around the world.
We know that independent cinema has always been a small world.
Precisely because of this, every event, every conversation, and every audience member deserves to be valued.
Perhaps each of us is only sending out a single glimmer of light.
But when people in cities around the world are willing to keep that light burning, those individual lights will eventually come together to form a sky full of stars—illuminating the way for more people searching for these stories.
If you would like your city to become the next destination for CathayPlay In Motion, we warmly invite you to join us.
Local Jurisdiction and Responsibilities #
CathayPlay In Motion is built upon a network of local partners around the world.
Each CathayPlay Fellow independently curates and organises activities within their respective city or region and is responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with applicable local laws and regulations, film screening and licensing requirements, venue requirements, and any other applicable legal obligations.
CathayPlay Fellows are independent partners and are not employees, agents, branches, affiliates, or legal representatives of CathayPlay. Unless prior written authorisation has been obtained from CathayPlay, no Fellow may make commitments, enter into agreements, or undertake any legally binding action on behalf of CathayPlay.
CathayPlay In Motion does not currently support the organisation of related activities in China.