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SUHRFF: Hidden Letters

Time: Sept. 24, 2022, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Location: Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art Building

Part of the Syracuse Symposium

Part of the Syracuse Symposium series.

20th Annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival

Hidden Letters (Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qing, China/Germany/USA/Norway, 2022, 86 min, Mandarin with English subtitles)

This documentary shares stories of two Chinese women trying to balance their lives as independent women in contemporary China while confronting the traditional identity that defines but also oppresses them. Connected through their love for Nushu—a centuries-old secret text shared amongst women in a clandestine support system of sisterhood and survival—Hu Xin and Simu grapple with the possibilities of transformative self-realization and the Chinese state’s attempts to commodify this vital, if long overlooked, cultural tradition of women’s resistance.

Includes virtual Q&A with the filmmakers.


Organized by festival founders Tula Goenka (NEW) and Roger Hallas (ENG), SUHRFF celebrates two decades of showcasing thought-provoking feature documentaries about social justice issues around the world. Visit the festival website for developing details.