7999 Fast Ln
a documentary film, investigates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on young Chinese artists in America. COVID-19 initially broke out in Wuhan, China and soon became a global pandemic. As the phase “Chinese virus” fueled anti-asian racism and xenophobia, the existence of Chinese artists in America is not only an issue of art, but also an increasingly political one. The documentary focuses on a young artist who recently finished his MFA and decided to apply for an O-1 visa to stay in the US. It closely observes his visa application process since April 2020 and further examines this process in the backdrops of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Stop Anti-Asian Hate, and the 2020 presidential election.
Feature: Ruiqi Zhang
Collorators: CAI Yixuan, LIN Jing, LIN Yixiao, WU Peiyu, and ZHANG Hanwen
Special Thanks: Ivy Yixue Li
Supports: VCUarts, Art Academy of Cincinnati
Film Festivals: Doc.London Documentary Film Festival (Official Selection, 2024), International Diversity Film Festival (Official Selection, 2024), Pittsburgh Film Festival (Official Selection, 2023), Obskuur Ghent Film Festival (Official Selection, 2023), Doc.Boston Documentary Film Festival (Official Selection, 2023), Chinatown Film Festival (Honorable Mention, 2023), Dumbo Film Festival (Semi-Finalist, 2022)
Awards: The Tarkovski Grant, Tarkovski Agency, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2023
Screenings: Puncture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 2024; Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024; Stay Art Festival, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, 2021
