MINT CFF Workshops

We present a double-bill of two interactive workshops curated by Yixiang Lin, centered on exploring the idea of Creative Practices as a Method through a female lens, in collaboration with three UK-based East Asian female artists working across film, music, visual arts, and theatre. Together with the audience, they will share their individual and creative approaches to artistic practice, recent research, and ongoing projects, walking participants through the screening, live music performance, and a series of activities designed by artists to involve everyone in their inspiring creative processes. For more details, please see: https://www.unicornscreening.com/workshop-2026

Sat 7 Mar 1pm | Venue: Brewery Arts Warehouse

This workshop includes a work-in-progress screening of A Golden Voice by Christine Zhou, followed by a live instrumental performance with Christine Zhou and Yin Hei Ho.

Artist Statement – Christine Zhou
This work-in-progress documentary traces my search for my iconic grandmother, Zhou Xuan, through colonial Shanghai, reflecting on memory, identity, and cultural complexity. Set against the upheavals of World War II, it explores the transformation of Shanghai cinema and its passage into Hong Kong. Music anchors the film, weaving my original compositions with new arrangements of my grandmother’s songs. This creative storytelling is my way of connecting the past with the present. After the film, we will have a live performance featuring highlights from the score. Audience feedback is warmly welcomed for research and development purposes.

Christine Zhou
Christine Zhou is a concert pianist, composer and filmmaker. She completed degrees at Montreal’s Concordia University; later, she pursued her second Master’s in Music Composition for Film at Bristol University and a Filmmaking Certificate from the National Film and Television School. She has recently finished her first artist residency at Opera North. Her work blends music and documentary to explore memory, identity, and cultural complexity, driven by a desire to connect past and present through creative storytelling.

Yin Hei Ho
An arts producer and erhu player. Hei completed an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London, and trained in Hong Kong in erhu performance and Chinese music theory. A member of the New Tune Chinese Orchestra since 2000, he has performed in a wide range of concerts and tours. He now works freelance in theatre production and programme planning, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange.

Sat 7 Mar 2pm | Part two | Artistic Workshop: Spotlighting East Asian Women in Film, Theatre and Arts

Venue: Brewery Arts Warehouse
Artists: Ziyi Wang, Xiaonan Wang, Christine Zhou

Artist Statement – Ziyi Wang
Ziyi Wang will be facilitating a short participatory activity. Using a small action camera passed between participants, the exercise explores the relationship between language, body, and trust. The activity invites attention to how communication is embodied, fragmented, and sometimes mistranslated, and reveals the moving trace of that process by cameras. Requiring no technical expertise, it offers a playful and accessible way to experiment with self-recording, collective authorship, and lightweight methods of making and documenting work together.

Ziyi Wang
Ziyi Wang is an artist, filmmaker, performer and researcher, currently based in London and Beijing. Her work explores themes of identity, borders, and mobility, drawing on personal memory and use humor as a method to negotiate complex systems. Her practice spans video, performance, and installation, blending elements of documentary, comedy, stand-up, and theatrical scenography.

Ziyi graduated from MA Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. Her works have been presented in London, Beijing, Berlin, Edinburgh, Southampton and other cities, including Sense Gallery, Beijing; SLQS Gallery, Ruthin International Arts Festival, the Barbican Arts Group Trust and 19th FIRST International Film Festival.

Artist Statement – Xiaonan
In this workshop, Xiaonan will share her personal journey of making performance projects, including her thoughts, obstacles, doubts, and working methods along the way. Through guided creative exercises, participants will explore their own ideas, experiment with new approaches, and gently take the first steps toward creating a piece of their own in a supportive and playful environment.

Xiaonan
Xiaonan is a London-based actor and theatre-maker, and an integral member of Ensemble Not Found. Her artistic practice grows from contemporary visual theatre and is shaped by years of training in puppetry, clown, mime, and Tanztheatre. Passionate about unconventional movement, she values authentic and embodied expression. She is drawn to the interplay between language, environment, and time, often giving voice to what is overlooked or forgotten. Alongside her artistic practice, she engages with cultural organizations and advocates for feminist perspectives in the arts.

Artist Statement – Christine Zhou
In this workshop, Christine will explore how Chinese and East Asian women are represented in the UK media and film industry, both on screen and behind the camera. Research from the BFI, Creative Diversity Network (Diamond reports), and BESEA Screen highlights the ongoing underrepresentation of East Asian women in leading roles and creative decision-making positions. On screen, portrayals often rely on narrow stereotypes, while opportunities behind the camera remain limited. Although change is emerging through independent and grassroots work, systemic barriers persist. This filmed workshop invites participants to share lived experiences and perspectives, contributing to research and development while fostering dialogue, visibility, and more inclusive storytelling within the UK film landscape.

Please Note:
Seats MUST be booked for individual films prior to start times.
Festival passes do not automatically guarantee seats.
The full festival line-up will be announced on Sat 14 Feb.
Passholders must select seats for films of their choice, the seat price will then reduce to £0.00 in the basket.
Only one seat per festival pass holder is permitted, additional tickets will be charged accordingly.
Festival Film passes are non-refundable.
Festival terms & conditions apply.
For more details visit the MINT Festival ticket page HERE