Fish and Elephant

Fish and Elephant Chinese pinyin Jn nin xi tin literally This summer is documentary filmmaker and former TV hostess Li Yus feature film directorial debut. The film is also often referred to as the first Chinese mainland film to broach the topic of lesbian relationships in China.

Filmed on an almostsquare 16mm format, Fish and Elephant was the first feature film by Li Yu, who had previously directed several documentaries, including 1997s Sisters, a film which had run into state interference.Casting by Li Yu was done entirely with nonprofessionals. The two leads, Xiaoqun Pan Yi and Xiaoling Shitou, were cast after Li began visiting various lesbian bars in Beijing. Similarly, several of the films blind dates were based on actual dates set up by Li through classified ads. The mens reactions upon Xiaoqun revealing her sexual orientation therefore are entirely natural and accurate. Some have reported that this focus on amateurs was only partially by choice, in that Li had been unable to sign on established talent due to the controversial script and story. ........

Source: Wikipedia