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DIRECTED BY VIOLET DU FENG

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Spanning past and present Hidden Letters follows two millennial Chinese women, connected by their fascination with the secret language of sisterhood and their desire to protect it.

WATCH

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To screen the film for your educational group or institution:

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WATCH
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Spotlight Award Nominee

16th Cinema Eye Honors

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Best Feature Documentary Shortlist

38th IDA Documentary Awards

 

Best Norwegian Documentary

Bergen International Film Festival

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Grand Prize - Documentary Feature

Heartland International Film Festival

 

Special Jury Award

Nordic / Docs

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Documentary Feature Jury Winner

Audience Award - Feature Film

Austin Asian American Film Festival

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International Documentary Grand Jury Prize
Matt Decample Audience Choice Award

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

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Silver Nanook

International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana

NEWS

IN THE PRESS

"fiercely potent"

   -- Loud and Clear

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"smartly subversive"

   -- Sight and Sound

 

"elegantly crafted"

   -- Variety

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"moving"

   -- VOGUE

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"★★★★☆"

   -- The Guardian

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"...a magnificent portrait of women in China."

   -- Film Threat

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"...an extraordinary film, masterfully conceived."

   -- Documentary Magazine

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"If there is such a thing as 'female gaze' within filmmaking,
Feng has captured it."

   -- The Austin Chronicle

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"You may very well not see a more beautifully realized documentary in 2022."

   -- The Independent Critic

 

Oscars: Tales of Artistry, Environmental Activism and Political Struggle Lead the Documentary Feature Race

   -- The Hollywood Reporter | January 5, 2023

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WATCH: "Nushu: The secret language men don't know"

   -- BBC Culture | November 8, 2022

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LISTEN: "'The Arts Hour - The BFI London Film Festival 2022"

   -- BBC World Service | October 15, 2022

 

"‘Hidden Letters,’ About China’s Women-Only Secret Language, Acquired by Cargo Film & Releasing, Trailer Unveiled"

   -- Variety | October 14, 2022

"Today in New York"

On-air Interview with Director Violet Feng

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WNBC 

June 8, 2022

FILMMAKERS

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VIOLET DU FENG | DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Violet Du Feng is a documentary filmmaker and a 2018 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow. She produced DEAR MOTHER, I MEANT TO WRITE ABOUT DEATH, SINGING IN THE WILDERNESS, CONFUCIAN DREAM, MAINELAND, and PLEASE REMEMBER ME, which have won many awards including Doc Impact Hi5, Special Jury Awards at SXSW and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Feng started her career as a co-producer on the 2007 award-winning NANKING. She is the consulting programmer of Shanghai International Film Festival. HIDDEN LETTERS is her second feature-length documentary as a director.

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QING ZHAO | CO-DIRECTOR

Zhao Qing is the director of the award-winning PLEASE REMEMBER ME, supported by the Sundance Documentary Fund, IDFA Bertha Fund and the Britdoc Connect Fund. She started her career at Shanghai Media Group in 1991, where she directed and produced many television documentaries affiliated to the Documentary Channel of SMG. She directed and hosted several popular TV documentary programs such as “The Bund” and “Documentary Editing Room.”

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METTE CHENG MUNTHE-KAAS | PRODUCER

Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning producer, interactive producer and editor of feature documentaries. Through Ten Thousand Images she produced NO WORD FOR WORRY (2014) and NOWHERE TO HIDE (2016), which won over 20 awards including the first prize at IDFA, and was nominated for 2 Emmys. Her recent co-productions have won numerous international awards including Best Documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival for MYANMAR DIARIES (2022).

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JEAN TSIEN | PRODUCER

Jean Tsien is a documentary editor, producer, and consultant. She received two Peabody Awards in 2021: for executive producing the PBS series ASIAN AMERICANS; and for producing 76 DAYS, winner of a 2021 Primetime Emmy. She produced FREE CHOL SOO LEE, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Tsien is a recipient of the 2018 Art of Editing Mentorship Award presented by Sundance Institute; a Lifetime Achievement Award at DOC NYC’s 2020 Visionaries Tribute; and the 2021 IDA Pioneer Award.

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SU KIM | PRODUCER

Su Kim is a documentary producer in New York City and a 2015 Women at Sundance Fellow. Su received the Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award in 2021. She is the producer of FREE CHOL SOO LEE that premiered at 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Her recent films MIDNIGHT TRAVELER premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival; and HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING, which won Best Documentary at the 2018 Gotham Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

FILMMAKERS

Fish+Bear Pictures

SPEAKING REQUESTS

GOOD DOCS

FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION (N. AMERICA)

Jeffrey Winter, The Film Collaborative

SALES (N. AMERICA)

David Piperni, Cargo Films & Releasing

FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION (WORLD)

David Piperni, Cargo Films & Releasing

SALES (WORLD)

Emma Fiske-Dobell, Cargo Films & Releasing

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