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Still from the documentary Ascension

A portrait of the Chinese dream

The CCCB is showing the documentary Ascension, by Jessica Kingdom, which will be presented by Manel Ollé, an expert on the Asian giant.

As part of the conference "China of the Present, the World of the Future", organised by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), in collaboration with the research group ALTER (UOC) and the magazine Espill, on Friday 3 February at 6:30 pm, the CCCB will be hosting the screening of the documentary Ascension, by the Sino-American director Jessica Kingdom, released in 2021. The film takes an approach to the dream of enrichment in China, and does so without judging or demonstrating any thesis, only showing scenes that invite the viewer to walk through the efforts and mirages that are activated within the implacable machine of a polarised society. Kingdom's film has received several awards and was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars two years ago.

The film presents a contemporary view of an Asian giant that puts productivity and innovation first. The images show sex doll and cosmetics factories, butler schools, theme parks and luxury hotels. The question of the monetarisation of social networks is also addressed. But the filmmaker wants everyone to draw their own conclusions, and anyone attending this session at the CCCB will be able to present them, as at the end of the film there will be a dialogue moderated by Manel Ollé, an expert in the history and culture of modern and contemporary China. Ollé himself will give an introduction to the documentary before the lights go out and the projector is switched on.

Tickets to attend this activity can be purchased in advance. More information on this link.

Publication date: Friday, 27 January 2023
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