Hidden Letters
World Premiere

Hidden Letters

Documentary Competition
Feature | China, Germany, Norway, United States | 86 MINUTES | Chinese, Mandarin | English subtitles
Women, Documentary, Art

For thousands of years, women in China, who were often forced into oppressive marriages and forbidden to read or write, shared a secret language among themselves called Nushu. Written with delicate strokes made from sharpened bamboo sticks dipped in ink, Nushu bonded generations of Chinese women in a clandestine support system of sisterhood and survival. Fast forward to contemporary China, where two modern women are connected by their fascination with Nushu. In Jiangyong, Hu Xin works as a Nushu museum guide and aspires to master the ancient script following the breakup of her marriage. In Shanghai, Simu is passionate about music and Nushu, but archaic expectations threaten to end her pursuit of both. Influenced by Nushu’s legacy of female solidarity, the two women struggle to find balance as they forge their own paths in a culture steeped in female subservience to men. 

Offering a unique lens through which to view women’s equality, this fascinating film also explores the increasing commercialization of the deeply private Nushu language in direct opposition to its heart-wrenching origins. Filmmaker Violet Feng captures small revealing moments with gentle grace, culminating in a powerful resonance that lingers. —Andrea Passafiume


Cast & Credits
Directed by
Violet Feng

Violet Du Feng is an Emmy® winning documentary filmmaker and a 2018 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow. Her producing credits include Singing in the Wilderness, Confucian Dream, Maineland, and Please Remember Me. Her career started as a co-producer on the 2007 Sundance and Peabody winner Nanking. Hidden Letters is her directorial debut. 

Director
Violet Du Feng
Co-Director
Zhao Qing
Producer
Violet Du Feng, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Jean Tsien, Su Kim
Screenwriter
Violet Du Feng, John Farbrother
Cinematographer
Tiebing Feng, Gao Wei
Composer
Chad Cannon, Leona Lewis
Editor
John Farbrother
Executive Producer
James Costa, Ken Pelletier, Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen, Jaeson Ma, InMaat Foundation
Associate Producer
Yiqian Zhang, Juefang Zhang, Daniel Chein, Eric Tu, Fred Grinstein
Co-Producer
Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer, Betsy Tsai
Cast
Xin Hu, Simu Wu, He Yanxin

Contacts
US Sales Contact
David Piperni
Cargo Film and Releasing
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 2129958139
dpiperni@cargofilm-releasing.com
International Sales Contact
Emma Fiske-Dobell
Cargo Film & Releasing
Phone: 212-995-8139
emma@cargofilm-releasing.com
Press Contact
Julia Pacetti
Verdant Communications
New York, NY 11238
Phone: 9177550275
julia@jmpverdant.com
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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