FOOD & FOOTAGE – Independent movies in combination with food

27 AUGUST 2025 / starting 19:00

ZK/U BerlinSiemensstr. 27, 10551, Berlin, Germany

At Food & Footage, filmmakers and chefs come together to pair moving images with a curated menu specially designed to reflect the film program — bringing current social, cultural, and political topics to the table.

In this edition, we present a special documentary film, followed by a discussion with director He Xiaopei, currently a ZK/U resident, and three protagonists from the film: Kai, now 17, and his Beijing-born sister Jing, age 8, and their mother. The Q&A is moderated by Popo Fan, a Berlin-based Chinese filmmaker and curator. His films include queer activism documentaries and scripted, sex-positive shorts.

The film follows two boys over the course of eight years, offering an intimate look at how different cultural and social backgrounds shape their identities. When 3-year-old Kai moves from the UK to Beijing, he meets Zihao, a 2-year-old boy from rural Sichuan. As they grow up together, we witness their friendship unfold — through play, discovery, and everyday life — while they naturally begin to question and navigate issues around skin color, nationality, class, culture, gender, and sexuality.

A tender and thought-provoking portrait of childhood and difference, embedded in an evening of shared food and conversation.