White Rabbit Gallery Film Club

Overview

Massive, philanthropic art foundations had always seemed to belong to faraway cities, like New York or Madrid. Then they started popping up over here as well. A four-storey converted knitting-factory wedged at the edge of the Carlton Brewery site and the Mortuary Station, the White Rabbit Gallery showcases a massive private collection of modern Chinese art. Finding it can be a challenge, but the exhibitions are free and the quality is staggering. It's a busy place, hosting monthly talks and a book club on Chinese themes. First Sunday of the month, they run a Film Club featuring Chinese movies. Previous screenings have included Eat, Drink, Man, Woman and Hero.

This month's film — Still Life — exists in the shadow of the unfathomable Three Gorges Dam. A decades-long hydro-electric project that flooded villages and cities, relocating over a million people. Directed by Jia Zhang-Ke, part of China's "sixth generation" of realist film-makers, the film follows two love-stories through the surreal changes brought about by the dam's construction. Environment, internal migration, government bureaucracy — the big themes in modern China are all there, waiting. So hop up to the second floor, and get a closer look.